Princess of the Lab
by flystyle23.go.dolphins
Summary: When Sweets' 14 year old cousin comes to town, Sweets decides that Booth and Brennan should have to take care of her. She immediately becomes princess of the lab, and changes everything. B/B, slight Hodgela. Not Mary Sueish. Set after Pain in the Heart.
1. Chapter 1

Princess of the Lab

**A/N: This is my first story. I plan on writing more in the future, but for now I think I'll concentrate on just this one. It has an original character in it, but I don't want this to be Mary Sue-ish, so please review and tell me how I'm doing on that.**

It was a Tuesday morning, and Dr. Temperance Brennan was walking down the hallway of the J. Edgar Hoover FBI building with her partner, Special Agent Seeley Booth. They were on their way to an appointment with Dr. Lance Sweets, the FBI psychologist. Booth knocked on the door to Sweets' office. A muffled voice came from the room, followed by a scuffling noise. Then the door opened.

"Hello, Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth. Come in," Sweets said.

Booth and Brennan walked to the chairs across from Sweets' desk.

"So, has anything interesting happened with you two that I should know about?" Sweets asked.

"No." Booth and Brennan replied at the same time.

"Alright then. Well, I have a new assignment for you two. It will be much harder than any of the others that I've given you before. Of course, Cullen has already approved."

"Great, the deputy director of the FBI is taking advice from a 12 year old." Booth muttered.

"Anyway, this week my 14 year old cousin is in town. She will be here until next Monday. You will be watching her for the week. She will be staying with Dr. Brennan, and so will you, Booth. If Parker has to stay with you, he will stay at Dr. Brennan's as well.

"I'm sure you'll both like her a lot. Dr. Brennan, she is very intelligent and is an author. Booth, you'll definitely like her because she has a great sense of humor." Sweets finished.

Suddenly, a voice came out from under the desk.

"You know, I can speak, thank you!" A girl climbed out from under the desk and stood up. She had long dark red hair and hazel eyes. She looked similar to Sweets, but not too much, just a family resemblance. The girl was tall for her age, maybe five foot seven inches or so, and she had on plain blue jeans and a red, white and blue shirt that had stars and guitars on it and said "Fender."

"My name is August Sweets. I'm 14, and everyone calls me 'Vampire.' I want to be a surgeon, an author, or an artist when I grow up." The girl said.

"You play guitar?" Booth asked, motioning to her shirt.

"No. Piano and violin. I just think Fender is really cool. I know, it's pretty dorky."

"Why do people call you 'Vampire'?" Brennan asked.

"Because she eats raw meat!" Sweets said.

"No, I don't. It's because I love eating rare steak. Like, really rare. And because I really hate the name August. But now that I know your names, I'm starting to feel better about mine. No offense or anything." August said.

"None taken. I hate my name." Booth said. "So, we have to take care of you?"

"Yeah, but no worries. I can take care of myself. I can cook really well, so I plan to make you guys amazing food. And I'll cook your steak longer if you want. But it's better when it's rare." August said.

"Sweets, what the hell is the purpose of this assignment? I mean, I work all day, and she can't come!" Brennan exclaimed.

"Too bad. She's going. And I don't want her to be left at your apartment." Sweets said sternly.

"Yeah, I'm really good at breaking things and making messes. And annoying neighbors." August put in.

"Annoying neighbors?" Brennan asked.

"I listen to really loud music. Especially Coldplay and dance music, like Rihanna and Cascada and stuff. But I promise that I only do that when I'm home alone."

"Well, you can't come to the lab with me! I mean, what if you broke the remains of someone or destroyed evidence?" Brennan was now furious.

"Lance and I already had this discussion. Twice. I promise not to touch anything, and if I do, I know that I will immediately be sent back to Spokane, Washington, the place I call home. It's not nearly as interesting as DC, though."

"Fine. Come on then. Booth, will you drive us to the lab?"

"Bones, I gave you a ride here. I kind of have to drive you back." Booth replied.

"Let's go then." Brennan stood up and followed Booth out the door. August grabbed her backpack and headed out after them.

"Can I drive? Please?" Brennan asked Booth as they walked through the parking lot.

"No. I'm driving, like always. August, you sit in back."

"Fine with me!" August climbed in and buckled her seatbelt as Booth and Brennan got in front.

As soon as the car ride started, Booth and Brennan got in a huge discussion about religion. August pulled out her new green iPod nano and started listening to 'Sugar, We're Going Down'.

"I understand that religion's needed in culture. I just think that people should believe in something science can prove!" Brennan exclaimed.

"Have you read Angels and Demons? It explains how science explains that God has to exist!" Booth said.

"But in a stupid way!"

"Wow, are you two like dating or something? You have so much sexual tension! It's amazing!" August said.

"Well, at least she's blunt." Booth sighed.

"But you know who's going to love her?" Brennan asked.

"Angela." Booth replied, and both groaned. But August had already put her iPod back on and wasn't listening.

**A/N: What did you think? I hope you enjoyed it. I should be able to post again soon, like tomorrow or so hopefully. Review, please**!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey everyone! Here is the next chapter for this story. I know it seems like August is the main character now, but she really isn't. It's just going to take a few chapters before we can get to the amazing B/B!! Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 2

When they arrived at the lab, Brennan and August got out and started walking toward the building.

"I'm gonna go over to Dairy Queen and get some food. Want anything?" Booth asked.

"I'll have a cotton candy blizzard." August said. "You don't have to buy though." She pulled out a 5 dollar bill and handed it to Booth.

"Dairy Queen? That's that ice cream place, right?" Brennan asked.

"Yeah, you want anything, Bones?"

"How about a sundae. They have those, right?"

"Yeah. I'm surprised, I thought you'd say that it was unhealthy." Booth said.

"Well, I figure it would be okay once, and it's so hot out. Ice cream would be nice." She said.

As Booth drove off, August and Brennan walked into the Jeffersonian. They entered Brennan's office and August sat on the couch. She was still humming to 'Thnks Fr Th Mmrs' which was blasting through the headphones so loud that Brennan could hear it from 6 feet away. She chose to ignore it and started typing at her laptop. August pulled a book out of her backpack called The Secrets of the Illuminati, Knights Templar, Masons, and Serpent Cults. She began to read.

About 20 minutes later, Hodgins walked into the office.

"Dr. Brennan, I was just analyzing the metal you found on the femur and--" He stopped talking and looked at August, who was now humming 'Time After Time' by Quietdrive. "Who is this?" he asked.

"This is August. She's my new assignment with Booth. She's Sweets' cousin. She's here from Spokane. We have to take care of her until she leaves on Monday." Brennan said.

August removed her headphones and shut her book, after putting her gnome bookmark in it, saving her page.

"Hi. I'm August, but Brennan just said that, didn't she?"

"Yeah. I'm Jack Hodgins. What book are you reading?"

"Just this one about conspiracy theories and secret societies and stuff. It's called The Secrets of the Illuminati, Knights Templar, Masons, and Serpent Cults."

"That sounds awesome! Could I look at it?"

"Here." August handed him her book and turned to Brennan with a confused look on her face.

"He loves conspiracy theories and other stuff like that." Brennan explained. "Hodgins. Hodgins. HODGINS!" He finally looked up from the book.

"Hmmmmm?" Hodgins asked.

"We're going to the platform. Would you like to show me the metal samples now?"

"Fine." The three of them stood up, but at that minute, Angela walked in.

"Hello, Bren. Hodgins! There you are! I was just wondering--" She paused to look at August. "Who's this?"

"I'm August! I'm 14, and I'm Booth and Brennan's assignment from Sweets until Monday."

"No, it's the assignment of--" Brennan tried to correct August's grammar, but was cut off by Angela.

"So, what are you listening to?" Angela asked, motioning to August's iPod.

"Well, I was listening to Time After Time, by Quietdrive, but it's on shuffle, so now it's playing Grazed Knees, by Snow Patrol."

"I've never heard that song, but I love Chasing Cars."

"I know! It was on Grey's Anatomy one time! That's how I found out about it."

"Oh my gosh! I love that show! The season finale was amazing!"

"I know! I hated Rose!"

"I hated Ava too!"

"I know! I was so excited when Derek and Meredith were making out at the end! It was like, FINALLY!! And then Alex and Izzie!" August was almost yelling now.

"I know! I know! Do you like shopping?"

"It depends. Would it be at an expensive place, because I'm not rich."

"You may not be, but he is, and he's my boyfriend! We can just spend his money!"

"Hey! MY money!" Hodgins exclaimed.

"Yeah. Look, Bren, I'm stealing your assignment. We're going to go shopping!"

"Ok, just have her back at my apartment by 9 tonight."

"Fine with me! See you two later!" Angela and August walked out of the room, talking animatedly about Grey's Anatomy.

"Well, that was rather weird. So, wanna see the metal now?" Hodgins asked.

"Let's go." Booth would just have deal with the fact that August had gone shopping with Angela and wouldn't be eating the ice cream.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hi again guys! This chapter is a bit fluffy, but I like it. I should be able to post the next chapter later today, but you may have to wait until late tomorrow or early Sunday, so sorry about that. Now, on to the chapter!**

Chapter 3

August and Angela wandered through the mall. They stopped at Dillard's and walked into the shoe department.

"Don't you think Brennan and Booth should go out? I mean they are SO in love with each other." August said to Angela who was trying on a pair of 4 inch strappy white sandals. Angela immediately looked up from the straps.

"So I'm not the only one who's noticed?"

"No! Ooh, those are cute! And incredibly expensive." August said, looking at a pair of red pumps.

"Get them! It's Hodgins' money. I've been trying to get Booth with Bren for forever now!" Angela said. "So, what do you think of these shoes?" Angela asked, pointing to the tall black boots she was currently wearing.

"Love them! So, how exactly do we get Brennan with Booth?"

"I'm still not sure. I asked Hodgins to help me, but he refuses to get involved. You know, for a man who's obsessed with conspiracies, he sure doesn't want to be in on one!"

"Well, we'll have to try ourselves then. And I've got a great idea for the first step."

"What?"

"A girls only sleepover at Brennan's apartment. Complete with a game of Truth or Dare."

"Genius! Ooh, you have GOT to try on these green ones!"

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

At about 7 o'clock, both Angela and August were so weighted down with shopping bags full of clothes and sleepover stuff that they had to stop. As soon as they made it to Angela's car, they collapsed into their seats.

"Ok, that was officially the meaning of 'shop 'til you drop." August pushed her hair behind her ears. "Let's head to Brennan's and tell her about the sleepover. We'll just have to make Booth have a guy's night with Hodgins or something."

"Yep!" Angela parked the car and they walked up to Brennan's apartment building. They got Brennan to let them in and walked up to her apartment, carrying all the stuff August bought at the mall, plus all the sleepover stuff, which included sleeping bags, 17 new dance CDs, a new set of pj's for everyone, and, of course, plenty of random candies and chocolate bars.

Brennan opened the door and immediately grabbed some of the bags.

"Let me help you. What on earth did you do? And what's with the sleeping bags?" Brennan asked.

"We're having a sleepover! Tonight. Hodgins and Booth are going bowling and Booth's just gonna stay at his place tonight. That means it's just you, me, and August for the rest of the night!" Angela said excitedly.

"What? But what about work tomorrow? I mean, it's not a weekend or anything."

"Already taken care of. Cam agreed that since August is in town, we can take tomorrow off!"

"No! I have to go to work." Brennan said, but after a bit more persuasion, she was finally talked into it. "Just don't expect me to do anyone's nails or hair." Brennan started moving the couch and coffee table up in front of her new TV.

"Wow, you have an awesome TV!" August said.

"Booth bought it for me, and insisted that I keep it, so now I have a TV. And about three hundred DVDs he bought for me too."

"It's a good thing we only bought CDs then." August said.

"Oh, I have a ton of CDs." Brennan said.

"Yes, but do you have anything that isn't some weirdo cultural stuff or stuff that's like a million year's old?" Angela asked.

"Actually, CDs are not a million--"

"Let's just start a DVD, kay?" August asked. Brennan wanted to watch To Kill a Mockingbird, but August and Angela overrode her and decided that Pirates of the Caribbean was a better choice. So they put it in and started spreading their sleeping bags. Angela had picked out a blue one with a white inside for Brennan, a pink and purple one for herself, and August chose an orange and lime green one for herself. They all had new matching silky pajamas.

BBBBBBBBBB

After the movie was over, it was about 10:30. August made some popcorn and got everyone beer. She then got herself a Dr. Pepper and walked back to the living room.

"Let's play Truth or Dare!" Angela said. "Thanks for the drink."

"Truth or Dare sounds great!" August said as she sat down.

"What's truth or dare?" Brennan asked. After August explained the rules, Brennan freaked out.

"No thank you! I am not playing truth or dare with YOU TWO! I just know something bad will happen." But finally, Angela and August promised that they wouldn't be too horrible, and Brennan agreed to play.

"Angela, truth or dare?" August asked first. They didn't want to ask Brennan anything too personal yet, so they decided to do some stuff to each other first.

"Truth."

"Ok, um, what's your birth name?"

"What? Pass!"

"But you only get one pass. Are you sure you want to use it now?"

"Yes!"

"Fine. Um, have you ever smoked marijuana?"

"Once in high school. I coughed so much I couldn't think. I ran away from the kids who gave it to me as fast as I could and never tried it again. Ok, Bren, truth or dare?"

"I know what you're gonna say if I say truth, so dare."

"I dare you to go to your balcony and strip down to just your underwear, then scream the word moose."

"No way! You said you wouldn't be horrible!"

"You can pass."

"No! I might need it later. Fine, I'll do it. But I don't want to take off all my clothes!"

"Well, you have to, but you don't have to scream. Just go out there and do it fast and then come back."

Brennan walked over to the balcony, quickly took off her shirt, then her pants, and then pulled them on and ran back inside.

"Done." She said. "August, truth or dare?"

"Definitely dare." August said, with a glint in her eye.

"Go splash yourself with water."

"What? No! That's a lame dare. You have to make me do something interesting!" August whined.

"Go get the whipped cream and a pie tin and slam yourself in the face with a whipped cream pie."

"Sweet! I've always wanted to do that!" She promptly did the dare, washed her face, and sat back down. After several more rounds, Angela finally asked the question when Brennan said truth.

"Are you in love with Booth?"

"Pass."

"Ok then, are you hopelessly in love with Agent Booth?"

"That's the same question!"

"No, I used different words, sweetie. So, are you hopelessly in love with the almost dead Agent Booth?"

"No." Brennan said.

"Then why did you pass before?"

"Because, I didn't want you to think that I'm in denial."

"What does passing have to do with that?"

"I don't know."

"Okay, well, answer! I mean, when he died you were so sad and stuff, but you just hardened yourself. He was dead!"

All of a sudden, Brennan felt sad and scared as she recalled Angela's words: almost dead Agent Booth. And now Angela was talking about bullets, and dying, and Booth... Brennan jumped up and grabbed her car keys and left the apartment in tears, leaving a bewildered August and Angela in her wake.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

Brennan drove towards Booth's apartment, hoping that he would be there. It was 11:15, he should be back from bowling. She wasn't sure why she was headed that way, after all, she didn't really want him to see her sobbing her eyes out over his almost death, which had occurred nearly 3 weeks ago. But she kept on driving and finally got to Booth's place.

She walked up to his door and knocked. At first there was no answer, but then Brennan heard someone walking to the door. Booth opened it and looked out at Brennan.

"Bones! What are you doing here at this time of night? And why are you crying?" But she just stood there, arms crossed over her chest, looking anywhere but at Booth.

"Come here." Booth pulled her into his arms and they stood there in the doorway for several minutes, Brennan crying and Booth hugging her. He guided her to the couch after closing and locking the door, and they sat down together.

"What's the matter, Bones?"

"I – I – I freaked out. Angela just, she, I just," Brennan fell silent and stared at her feet in shame.

"Did she say something? Was she mean to you?"

"No, not intentionally. She and August decided to play this game called truth or dare, where you-"

"It's okay, I know what truth or dare is. Keep going."

"Well, she asked me if I loved you."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. She asked me if I loved the almost dead Agent Booth. Then she started talking all about how you were dead, and then it was like you actually were! I just freaked and ran here."

"There's nothing to worry about, Bones. I'm right here, see, not dead."

"I know, but it just scared me for some reason. Like you had died again and weren't going to come back."

"Oh. I'm sorry about that."

"It wasn't your fault. Don't worry about it. I guess I'll just go now."

"You can stay if you want. We can watch some movies."

"I'm really tired. Can I just like sleep on your couch?"

"You can take the bed if you want. I'll stay on the couch."

"Thanks." Brennan smiled at him and walked to his room. She slipped off her shoes and pajamas and slid into one of Booth's shirts. She snuggled into Booth's bed, which smelled just like him.

**A/N: Okay, so that was a bit fluffy. I think it was a bit weird for Brennan to just randomly run off like that, but I needed her to go to Booth's so we could have a bit of cute fluff. I know this story seems a bit plotless right now, but don't worry! The excitment will come in about 2 chapters or so.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**A/N: I don't really like this chapter as much. I needed it here, but I just couldn't seem to get it how I wanted it. If you have any suggestions, that would be great! I have the rest of this story planned out a bit, but I'd love to hear what you'd like to have happen. This won't just be a fluffy fic either, it's going to have a case and a plot, which comes in the next chapter!**

**Now, here we go!**

Morning came too soon, in Brennan's opinion. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sat up, wondering about the unfamiliar setting. The memories of the previous night came back to her, and she slowly got out of bed and wandered into the kitchen. She could smell eggs frying, and they smelled delicious.

As Brennan walked into the kitchen, Booth was surprised to see that she had changed out of the blue silky pajamas she had been wearing the previous night and had on one of his t shirts.

"Good morning, Bones." He smiled at her. She smiled faintly back and sat down at the table.

"Good morning. What are you cooking?"

"Eggs. I hope you like them."

"Yep. Look, um, about last night--"

"We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Booth said softly, noting her uncomfortable expression. She immediately relaxed.

"Well, I have the day off today, so do you maybe want to go see a movie or something?"

"You? Seeing a movie?" Booth was shocked.

Brennan took this the wrong way, thinking he was disgusted or something. "Well, I just thought that maybe you might want to, but we don't--" Brennan trailed off, stuttering.

"I wasn't mad or anything. Just surprised. You hardly even watch TV. But I'd love to go see a movie. How about Get Smart?"

"I don't know what that is."

"It's a new movie about a detective who's really stupid, but always solves the case on accident."

"Oh, okay. Sure. But I'll have to go get some clothes from my apartment first. I'm not sure I want to see Angela or August, though."

"Don't worry, they're probably just shocked, that's all. I'm sure they're not mad."

"Ok then." They ate their eggs while heatedly discussing the functionality – or disfunctionality – of the Electoral College.

BBBBBBBBBBB

Back at Brennan's apartment, the rest of the night was a bit weird. August and Angela were shocked that Brennan had freaked out, but they knew right where she would run to, so they didn't bother stopping her. After Brennan left, August and Angela continued their sleepover, watching Star Wars Episode II: The Attack of the Clones and commenting about how Anakin and Padme's relationship was similar to Brennan and Booth's, even though there weren't all that many similarities. Then they watched Titanic. While Angela sobbed, August held back tears, because she hated it when she cried. When the movie was over, they had a long discussion about how Jack could have survived and how stupid the movie was. After that, they sat up and talked for a while. August put in The Best Damn Thing, one of the CDs she and Angela had picked out, and they danced a bit. Both were pretty hyper, but they finally fell asleep around 3:30 am.

August woke up first, because she couldn't ever sleep past 8 in the morning, even if she stayed up really late. She went into the kitchen and started making BLTs, but soon discovered that Brennan had no tomato.

Angela woke up and walked into the kitchen, said good morning, and made coffee.

"So, do you think they had sex yet?" Angela grinned.

"With Brennan involved? No way." August replied.

"Well, you've got a point. But Booth is involved. He may have seduced her."

"I repeat, with Brennan involved, no way." August finished the BL no Ts and handed Angela one. They ate breakfast, talking and laughing about their fantasies of Booth and Brennan's night.

BBBBBBB

After breakfast, Brennan realized that she needed to go back to her apartment so she could get some clothes. She decided to go back to her apartment and stop back by Booth's when she was ready. She drove back to her apartment, dreading the conversation she knew would ensue as soon as she got there.

As Brennan walked in the door, she was met with an eerily quiet apartment. She walked into the kitchen and found a note saying, "Went to lab, come if you want. –Angela and August." She was relieved that she didn't have to have a discussion about the previous night with the two girls.

Brennan took off her clothes, including Booth's shirt, noticing that she was still wearing it, and stepped into the shower. After she had taken a nice, relaxing shower, she climbed out and searched for a nice outfit to wear, even though she knew the movie wasn't really a date. She applied a bit of makeup and was soon out the door.

BBBBBBBBBB

Angela and August left the apartment before Brennan got there. They left a note on the table and headed off to the lab. They assumed that Brennan would be there, and Angela figured that she might as well work.

As the two walked into the lab, they heard quiet voices coming from the platform. Cam and Hodgins were standing there discussing the latest developments in the case.

"I still think it was a blunt axe!" Cam was saying. "It just makes sense. I mean, they were at a lumber yard. There would be axes everywhere. And didn't the metal match?"

"Well, yes, but it wouldn't enter in the same way. They don't just use axes at lumber yards, Cam. In fact, I bet they use chainsaws, now. Or big automatic machines." Just then, he noticed Angela and August.

"Hey Angela! Hey August! I thought you guys weren't coming today." Hodgins said with a puzzled look on his face.

"I know, but Brennan ran off to Booth's after I did something. I'm not sure what it was. We were kind of confused." Angela explained.

"What did you say before she left?"

"I asked her if she loved Booth. She ran away sobbing." Angela explained.

"Weird." Hodgins said. "Well, we should get to work. August, would you like to help me?"

"What are you doing?"

"Well, right now we're trying to figure out what weapon the murderer used. It WASN'T a blunt axe. This is harder than it looks."

"I don't know anything about this though. Can't I just listen to my iPod and read?"

"Look, I'll teach you for an hour and you can have the rest of the day off. Deal?"

"No, but I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Not really. Come on, it'll be fun." August sighed and walked up the stairs to the platform after Angela, who deactivated the alarm. She walked over to Hodgins and they got to work.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBB

Brennan drove to Booth's apartment quickly. Once she arrived, she climbed out of the car and walked up to Booth's apartment. She knocked and the door opened quickly. Booth was amazed at how great Brennan looked in just jeans and a black shirt. He stared for a moment, until Brennan waved her hand in front of her.

"Booth? Are you okay? World to Booth!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. And it's Earth to Booth, not world."

"Oh, thanks. Well, should we leave? Our movie starts in 45 minutes."

"Yeah, let's go." They walked out to Booth's car.

"Can I drive? Please?" Brennan asked, as usual. But for once, Booth decided to let her.

"Okay. But if you wreck it, you're paying for it."

"Thank you!" Brennan said, surprised.

"No problem! No problem at all." They hopped into the car and drove off.

**A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. I have nothing much to do today, so you can expect chapter 5 by about noon or so. After that, I may not be able to update again until tomorrow evening or Sunday, but I promise that chapter 6 will be up by next Monday. ****I hope you enjoyed! Review please!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**A/N: I realize that I haven't put in a disclaimer! Eeek! Well, I don't own any of this. Except August, because I made her up.**

Back at the lab, August and Hodgins were finished with the lesson, but August was now very interested in what they had been doing.

"So, the metal points to it being an axe, but it couldn't be because of the markings on the bones, which are much too thin to be from an axe, and have an upward entry. There's no way in hell an axe could have come upward to hit someone. It'd have to go down."

"Exactly, August. Now, we're going to test this soil sample I got. I haven't done it yet." August walked over to the machine, and they got to work analyzing the soil.

BBBBBBBBB

Brennan and Booth arrived at the movie theater about 15 minutes before the movie was going to start. Brennan got them seats, and Booth got popcorn and soda. He walked into the theater, and watched the movie.

"I loved the part in the airplane!" Booth exclaimed.

"I know. It was so funny. But there were some lines in there that I didn't get."

"I figured that would happen. Have you ever even seen the TV show of Get Smart?"

"No. I didn't watch TV that much, even growing up."

"Oh. It was one of my favorites. But you must have watched some TV. You knew about the Smurfs!"

"Doesn't everyone? Even now people know what a Smurf is."

"Well, that's true. So, what do you want to do next?"

"I have some work to so at the lab. Could we head over there?"

"Sure." They hopped in the car and drove to the lab. When they arrived, Booth headed to the bathroom while Brennan walked up to the platform.

"Hey Brennan!" August exclaimed. "Hodgins and I got a lead on the case!" Brennan was surprised she didn't mention what had happened at the sleepover the night before, but she didn't mention it. Brennan didn't want that conversation.

"That's good. What did you find?" She asked.

"We determined that it was a knife wound."

"A knife? But if it had been a knife we would have known right away!"

"Not this kind of knife. It was the only thing that could have gone in pointing upward. It was one of those giant knives that they use in kitchens. If the murderer had been holding it like they were chopping vegetables or something, and they stabbed out, it could have easily gone upward and into the heart, like it did." August explained.

"So it could have been an accident."

"It could have."

At that moment Angela walked in, looking close to tears and grasping a white note. Hodgins immediately ran over to her and tried to comfort her, but August walked over to get the note, which Angela had dropped as she sobbed into Hodgins' shoulder. August picked up the note and read it.

"Dearest Dr. Temperance Brennan, It has come to my attention that your little assignment has figured out the case. She's a smart girl. I want you to know that I am watching, waiting, and ready to strike at any moment. I will get you. I may consider taking the girl too, if she proves to be too smart for her own good, like you are. I am watching you." August finished. "There's no signature. I wonder who sent this."

"They must have this whole place bugged! My apartment could be bugged too, and Booth's!" Brennan was shocked. At that moment Booth walked down the hallway.

"Sorry it took so long. Cam stopped me in the hall." Booth stopped, noting Angela's sobbing, Brennan's pale face, and August's confused look. "What? What happened?" He asked.

August seemed to be the only one capable of speech at the moment. "Read this." She handed him the note, watching as he read the note. He grew pale.

"We need to have the whole place checked for bugs! We're talking cameras, voice recorders, anything." Booth said.

"We can't. If the murderer is watching us, he'll just strike sooner." August murmured. "For now, all we can do is wait, and watch, and be careful."

"I have some work to do in my office," Brennan said. She turned and walked away from the silence of the platform.

"Well, I for one don't like this murderer! He sounds like some evil guy from a book. I'm listening to my iPod." August said. She turned on the iPod and sat on the floor against the railing, eyes closed.

Booth and Hodgins talked the case over, and Angela sketched August. After about 10 minutes, Booth decided to go talk to Brennan. He walked over to her office and pushed the door open to go in. The sight that greeted his eyes was completely unexpected. The whole room was destroyed, and there was a lot of blood splattered on things. And on a pink sticky note on the shattered computer screen there was a note reading:

"Your little sweetheart Brennan is gone. And this is just the beginning."

**A/N: This chapter is a bit short, but the next one should be a bit longer. I'm so glad for all the good responses I'm getting! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please review! Critisism is welcome. I don't think I did a very good job of the whole kidnapping thing, so let me know what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews!! I love all the feedback that I'm getting. Sorry if I don't respond to your reviews, but most of them are saying how much they like the story, so to everyone: THANK YOU!! I liked writing this chapter. It was very fun! This chapter may seem a bit confusing. I don't mean for it to be, but it turned out that way. The beginning of this chapter is the day after chapter 5. It starts with Brennan. The next part of the chapter goes back to the previous day, after Booth comes out of Brennan's office. I tried several ways to make this less confusing, but it just worked best this way.**

**Thanks, once again! On to the chapter**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, except August**

Brennan awoke in a dark room. She was tied to a chair in the middle of what looked like a basement. Her head was pounding and she couldn't remember anything from the past few hours. She remembered going to the movies with Booth… walking into the lab… and then nothing. But she must have done something in the lab though. There was no way that a kidnapper could get through security… she must have left the lab... Brennan couldn't even think as her head pounded and her hands were numb. The bonds must have been cutting off her circulation. She looked down at what she could see of her legs and arms, checking for injuries. She had long cuts down her thigh and right arm. She could feel her lip bleeding and thought she could feel blood on her wrists, but she wasn't sure.

She turned her head around to see if she could recognize her surroundings. There were walls… dirty walls that would have been gray if they hadn't been so dirty. The ground was made of dirt… she must be underground… there was a small window in the corner, but it was super dusty, and there was no way to see out of it… why would there be a window in a basement? It was up near the ceiling… maybe it was one of those fire escape holes or something. There was a door in the corner that had rusted hinges and would surely squeak if Brennan could get it open… though she doubted she could. The room looked to be about 7 feet on the short side and 10 feet on the long side. There was nothing in the room but her and the chair.

Brennan tried to get the bonds off, but they were tied much too tight. She tried to kick off the bonds on her feet, but they two were tied pretty tightly. She didn't have anything across her mouth, but she couldn't chew through the bindings keeping her tied tightly to the chair. After all, her hands were behind her back. That would surely look interesting.

Brennan sighed, wondering if anyone would hear her if she screamed. She highly doubted it, especially since she was underground. She decided it was worth a shot though, so she opened her mouth to scream. At that moment, a dark figure came into the room. It was a man. He was wearing a huge black hoodie with the hood pulled up over his face, so that Brennan couldn't see it. He had on dirty jeans and tennis shoes. She couldn't see any of the man's skin, so she had no idea if the man was Caucasian or not. When she heard his voice, she assumed he was, because he didn't sound at all like someone who was African American.

"Oh, Dr. Brennan. How lovely it is to finally see you. Ah, you're much prettier in person. I mean, you've always look hot in your pictures in your books, but it's even more breathtaking now." The man trailed off. He pulled out a gloved hand from his pocket and walked over to Brennan.

"Your little secret agent man won't be able to save you this time, Doctor. Or do you call him F-B-Eye Candy now? Well either way, lover boy won't be here."

"You're wrong." Brennan finally spoke, glaring with a look that could kill. "He will be here. And he isn't my lover." That part had confused Brennan. Why did the man call Booth "lover boy?" They were just partners.

The man chuckled. "It's just an expression. And anyway, I shouldn't have used it. He doesn't love you at all. He doesn't care about you." The man pulled out a tape recorder. "I've been taping many conversations your little squad has had at the Jeffersonian. Listen to this one. Yesterday, Angela and Booth were talking about you."

The man pressed play and Booth's voice began to come through the speakers:

"She's so annoying, Angela. Why does she constantly have to talk to me at every time of the day! I wish I didn't have to work with her so often. She's just so annoying. Why can't she just fall off the planet or something?"

Angela's voice came through now:

"Booth, she means well! She really likes you."

"Well I don't like her one bit. If she would stop being so nosy about my life, I wouldn't hate her so much. I can't believe I have to work with her almost every day!"

"I know Booth. Don't worry though. I can talk to her for you if you want."

"No. Don't bother. It won't change anything." The man shut off the tape recorder.

"See? Booth hates you. He wants you to die. I'm doing him a favor this way."

BBBBBBBBB

(The previous day at the lab)

Booth ran back out to the platform. "Guys! Guys!" He said, his voice frantic. "Guys, Bones is gone!" He ran out to the platform. Angela and Hodgins looked up from their work, and August took her headphones out of her ears.

"Bones is gone and her office is covered in blood." Booth was practically yelling at everyone now.

"The note," August whispered. She stood up and put her iPod in her pocket. "We should see if the blood is Brennan's." She and Booth walked back to Brennan's office. They found a small pool of blood on the desk and took it to do a DNA test on. The blood was Brennan's, and there was a lot of it. Losing this much would have killed anyone.

"What if it isn't all Brennan's?" August asked, clearly hoping that she was still alive.

"Let's test more of it. Get as much as you can." They both got as many blood samples as they could and took them to do DNA tests. Several of the samples were Brennan's, but then one came up that was different. Nothing came up.

"Hodgins! Test this to see if it's really blood. I'd taste it, but that'd be a bit gross," August said. Hodgins rushed over to test the 'blood.' A few minutes later, he stood up from the machine.

"It's just water and red food coloring. No traces of blood in it." Hodgins walked over to where Booth was still working on the rest of the blood samples. "How do you know how to work that machine, Booth?" Hodgins asked.

"I taught him!" August replied, clearly very proud of herself. "You taught me how the other day, and then I taught Booth!"

"Good job. Now you know how to run DNA tests, soil tests, and determine possible murder weapons. Now let's find out if you think like a detective." Hodgins sat down. "I want you to tell me what process you think we should go through to find Brennan."

"Wait, don't you already have a method?"

"Yes, but I want to know what you'd do."

"Ok then. I'd start by calling a team to de-bug this place. We wouldn't want the killer to find out what we were doing. To prove my point, I will now whisper to maker the killer not hear me." August started whispering. "Next, I'd search Brennan's office for any more clues. I'd search anywhere she's been recently. Then I'd take all the clues and write them all down on a piece of paper so that I could see it all at once. After that, I'd think about motives. I'd try to figure out if any of the evidence supported any of my theories on motives. Once I came to a conclusion, I'd use the evidence to try to find Brennan. I'd call the FBI and have them go get Brennan once I found her."

"Not bad. It's actually pretty good. Let's go to Brennan's office now and check for possible evidence, okay, Princess?"

"Princess?"

"Well, we have this running contest to be King of the lab. Or at least, we used to, before Zach…" Hodgins trailed off. "Anyway, you know how to use some of the equipment and stuff, and for a 14 year old, that's pretty cool. So I'm crowning you Princess of the Lab."

"I don't get to be a king?" August asked, looking hurt. She burst out laughing at Hodgins' embarrassed face. "Just joking! Let's go search Brennan's office now." She and Hodgins walked off, and headed into Brennan's office.

**A/N: Thanks again guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**A/N: Part of this chapter is still the previous day at the lab. The part with Brennan and the kidnapper is the next day. I hope you enjoy!**

As August and Hodgins searched Brennan's office, Booth and Angela started talking.

"I'm scared," Angela said. She put her head in her hands and sunk into a chair.

"I know." Booth said. "Me too." About 5 minutes later, Cam walked into the room.

"Have you seen Dr. Brennan? I can't seem to find her anywhere!" Cam exclaimed. Booth wordlessly handed her the pink sticky note he'd found on Brennan's computer screen.

Cam gasped. Surprisingly, she didn't look all that sad that Brennan was gone.

"How are you holding up, sweetie?" she asked Booth, rubbing his back.

"Fine." He said dismissively, clearly angry with Cam for turning the situation into one where she could try to get him back.

Cam didn't get the hint. She kept talking to him. Finally, her phone rang and she walked away.

"She's so annoying, Angela. Why does she constantly have to talk to me at every time of the day! I wish I didn't have to work with her so often. She's just so annoying. Why can't she just fall off the planet or something?" Booth asked.

"Booth, she means well! She really likes you."

"Well I don't like her one bit. If she would stop being so nosy about my life, I wouldn't hate her so much. I can't believe I have to work with her almost every day!"

"I know Booth. Don't worry though. I can talk to her for you if you want."

"No. Don't bother. It won't change anything."

"Okay, but if you hate Cam that much, you should at least let her know she can't touch you like she did earlier."

"I know, but I just can't even stand talking to her! I wish Bones was here."

"I know, sweetie. I do too."

BBBBBBBBBBBB

Brennan bit her lip as the man hit her again. He had large rings on over his gloves. They were very sharp, and Brennan was sure that she now had huge cuts all over her face. Her right eye was swollen shut, and her ear was screaming as he whacked her in the ear.

"That's all for now, Doctor. But don't you worry. I'll be back in a couple of hours. If you behave, I may not whip you quite as much as I did last time, bitch." The man left the room. Brennan could feel tears slipping down her cheeks. She knew it wasn't from the pain. It was because of Booth. He had betrayed her. He hated her. He WANTED her to die. As much as she didn't want to believe it, she knew it was true. The tape was proof. He didn't want her at all.

Brennan had a lot of time to think in her captivity, and she realized that she really did like Booth as more than just a friend. She wanted him to like her. Every rational part of her said that love didn't exist, and that she was just attracted to him because of biological urges. But she just couldn't convince herself of that at the moment.

She wished Booth would come and hold her and comfort her and tend to her wounds. But he wasn't there, and he wouldn't be. Surely he'd be glad when she was gone. And Angela seemed to agree with him. _I bet even August hates me, and she doesn't even know me very well._ Brennan thought glumly. She dropped her head as more tears rolled down her cheeks. Slowly, Brennan fell asleep, hoping that she'd never see the light of day again.

**A/N: Booth and Angela weren't talking about Brennan! They were talking about Cam! It was fun writing depressed Brennan, I must say. I didn't want to make it too OOC, so I tried to keep it as much like Brennan as I could. The next chapter should be posted tomorrow. I want this story to be finished by the time school starts, because I won't have much time to update then. Hopefully, I can get a lot of this done this week. I want the whole thing to be done by August 9****th****, but that may not happen. Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! You guys rock! This chapter is a bit of a filler. I have the next one almost done though, and it should be up tomorrow. Please review!**

Chapter 8

August and Hodgins only got one piece of evidence out of Brennan's room. It was clear that this killer was experienced. Unfortunately, Booth had already touched the evidence. It was the pink sticky note, and his fingerprints were all over it. August had to fingerprint Booth so that they could tell which were his and which were the murderer's. Finally, Hodgins figured out that their killer, assuming it was the killer who wrote the note, was a 43 year old Caucasian man named Jeremiah Remington. He lived at 3829 West Landon Avenue, just outside of DC.

"Jeremiah disappeared 3 months ago. He hasn't been seen since. His house was paid off, so he didn't need to pay anything for that. The man wasn't rich, but he wasn't poor either. Totally middle class. The only reason we have any record of him at all is because about a month before he disappeared, he got a speeding ticket, and we still have the records of that," August told Booth.

"I need to go to his house to investigate there. He must be living somewhere, and even if it isn't at the house, we might as well start there. It's in a pretty private part of town. Lots of land around the house, so the neighbors wouldn't be able to see in through windows or anything," Booth said. He started walking out of the lab, but August caught up to him.

"Can I come?"

"No. This is too dangerous for a 14 year old. What if he's at the house?"

"He's watching our every move, remember? He knows we're going to the house. Unless he wants a fight, he won't be there. And anyway, I'm not scared."

"No. You can't come."

"I'm a fast runner. I promise I'll run if anything bad happens!"

"No. That's the end of it. Now go back to the platform and help Hodgins do something." Booth walked out of the building leaving a dejected August standing there, an angry look on her face. She turned around and walked back to the platform to help Hodgins.

BBBBBBBB

Booth pulled up to Jeremiah's house and was a bit surprised. It had beautiful rose bushes in the front and was a nice yellow house with a white picket fence. The house looked like it belonged to a nice old grandma who would bake cookies for you every time you visited her. It was strange for Booth to think of a killer living here.

He walked inside and was shocked. The house was completely empty. There was dust everywhere, but no furniture. It looked like someone had been here, watering the flowers out front, but hadn't been inside. Booth explored the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and office, and he didn't find anything. There was nothing in the dining room or living room either. He searched the cupboards and closets – still nothing. Finally, Booth decided to try the final door he hadn't looked in. It opened up to a stairwell going down to the unfinished basement. He would need a flashlight to go down there. So he walked out to his truck and got one, glad that it was there.

Booth stepped lightly on the first step. It didn't creak. He went down another, a bit more confidently. It didn't squeak either. It wasn't until the last step that anything happened. There was a tiny squeak. A mouse skittered across the floor in front of the step. Booth shined his flashlight around the room. There was nothing. It was a fairly large room with no doors coming off of it. There was a solitary desk in the corner, but it was old and had no drawers to hold anything. It looked more like a table, aside from the fact that there were a couple of open shelves on top of it.

Booth walked over to the desk and looked around. He looked under the desk too, but there was nothing there either. Finally, on the top shelf, he found a note on a pink sticky note:

I see you've found the first clue. Well done, Agent Booth. I've decided that it wOuld be very fun to turn this whole thing into a little game. So we're going to play scavenger hunt. If you caN figure out the cluEs fast enough, I may let your little lady live. I may not. But it can't hurt your chanceS to play, can it? Here's the first clue: SN MF CS LR QY PR SG MU DC BS RO GP GU ED CT SR RK LK ER LR GF. Good luck!

Booth stared at the letter in horror. He had no idea what to do! How do you take 21 pairs of letters and turn it into a clue? He stared at the paper for a while longer, then turned and left the house.

BBBBBBB

When Booth walked back into the lab, he was greeted with August running up to him.

"Did you find anything?"

"Huh? You aren't still mad?"

"Not really. But did you find anything?"

"Yeah. This little sticky note." He handed the sticky note to August. She looked worried as she read the note. But at the end, her face lit up.

"I've got to show this to Hodgins!" She shouted and ran off.

"Hey! Come back! August!" But his words were lost on her sprinting form.

August arrived at the platform and skidded into the railing, tripping up onto the stairs and setting the alarm off. The guards just shook their heads and let her on through.

"Hodgins! Hodgins! Look what the killer gave us!!" She showed Hodgins the note.

"Is that what I think it is?" He asked, looking at the code.

"Do you think it's a Playfair Cipher? Because that's what it is," August grinned up at him.

"Oh yeah! My friends and I used these a couple times. I barely remember how to do them though."

"That's ok, I know how. I learned after I saw National Treasure 2."

"Why?"

"Because I liked that movie! And isn't it a good thing I learned?"

"Yeah. Well, let's get started."

**A/N: So, I totally stole the Playfair Cipher from NT2, but I thought it would work well to confuse Booth! the next chapter was supposed to be a part of this one, but it got WAY too long, so I broke it up into two chapters. Thanks! Please REVIEW!!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**A/N: Ooooh! I'm very excited about this chapter. It was so fun to write!! Hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, except August of course.**

Booth had left the lab a little while ago, telling August to call him when she needed him to pick her up. Hodgins decided that they should work on the cipher. To work a Playfair Cipher, there needed to be a key word. They tried DEATH, like in National Treasure, but it didn't work. They also tried DYING, but it also didn't work. Then August noticed the letters that were capitalized.

"Look! If you read these capital letters, it gives you the word ONES. But that's only 4 letters. If you consider Booth's name as a capital, it gives you BONES."

"Try it!" They did, and sure enough, a message came up. It read:

fi nd he ra tx th ei nt er se ct io no fb ro dh am an dc ra ne

When August put the spaces in right, it said,

Find her at x the intersection of Brodham and Crane.

"What's the x for?" Hodgins asked.

"It's used when you have two of the same letter. In the pairs, they must both be different letters, so they add in an x to break it up."

"Oh. We better tell Booth about this."

"I can do it later, when we get back to his apartment. We stayed there last night. I'll tell him then."

"Well, alright. That works. Hey, I'm going to head out. I think Angela's pretty stressed right now. We're going to go home and relax. Do you want me to call Booth for you?"

"Nah. I can do it." August pulled out her phone and called Booth, telling him to pick her up. While she was waiting, she pulled out a notebook and began to write a plan.

BBBBBBBBBB

When August and Booth got back to his apartment, they decided to order Thai. They tried to eat, but only really succeeded in pushing the food around their plates. Booth was too worried about Brennan to eat, and August was formulating a plan.

After a while, August said she was going to go to bed. She went into Parker's room and lay down on her sleeping bag. She needed to make sure Booth was asleep before she did anything. She got out her backpack and pulled out her notebook. It was kind of a journal, but she used it for doodling and plans and other things. She flipped open to the last page and reread her notes on her plan. After reviewing everything, she peeked into Booth's room. He was clearly sound asleep. She walked back out into the living room and pulled out ten dollars, a large hoodie that her dad got her in New Zealand, a flashlight, and her switchblade. She had found it on the ground when she was 10, and nobody knew about it but her. August was hoping she wouldn't need to use it for anything. With that, she slipped out of the apartment.

BBBBBBB

It only took about 10 minutes by bus to reach the intersection of Brodham and Crane. August had Mapquested it earlier, and found that there was a nice little 24 hour coffee shop on the Southwest corner of the 4 way intersection. It was on the outskirts of DC, and wasn't really a dangerous part of town. It was near the edge of a residential area on one side, with a Walmart on the other.

August walked into the diner. She was planning to stay there and watch the intersection. She would order some hot chocolate and drink it very slowly. It was only 11:30 pm, so it wasn't too late for an 8th grader to be out, and August actually looked like more of a sophomore, so she shouldn't have a problem. And if anyone asked, she was 16 and her name was Jennifer Smithson. She had always liked that name.

August was very proud of her plan and investigation. She assumed that she'd see something through the window in the café, which still had a good number of people in it. She'd be safe there, and if the need arose, she could go outside and wait on the bench so it looked like she was waiting for the bus. Everything would be fine.

Of course, August hadn't told Booth she was going. She hadn't even told him about breaking the code. She was going to prove that she wasn't a stupid little 14 year old. She had lied when she told him she wasn't mad about not going on the investigation, but figured that if she acted mad, he could get suspicious, and she couldn't have that. She needed to investigate on her own.

August gazed out the window nursing her hot chocolate for nearly 20 minutes before she got bored. She knew this was a stakeout, but she was bored. August paid for the hot chocolate and left the safety of the café. She knew that anything could happen on the other side of the street, which was dark and closed for the night. Unfortunately, the bus stop was on that side.

August crossed the street and sat down on the bench. She was a bit freaked out, but figured that the street light she sat under would provide some protection. A kidnapper wouldn't kill someone or take someone in plain sight, would they?

August waited a while. She stared around the intersection. There were practically no cars. One would drive by occasionally, but there weren't many. By the time August's watch showed that it was 1 am, there were only about two people sitting at the back of the café. August knew that now, even the streetlight wouldn't provide protection. Even in its glow, nobody would see her because nobody was there TO see her. August decided that she should go.

As August stood up, she looked across the street. It was dark, but she could see that behind the Applebee's that stood at the very corner, there was an old strip mall. It was closed and had a chicken wire fence around the perimeter. There was a big construction sign. Above that, there was a 'for lease' sign. Clearly, the building was being torn down, and the land was for lease. August figured that although it wasn't the corner, the note didn't say the corner. It simply said the intersection. So August thought she could check it out.

All of a sudden, August's phone started to go off. _Damn,_ she thought. She shouldn't have brought that with her. She quickly took it out and flipped it open. **One new TXT message**, the phone read. It was from Samantha, her friend back in Spokane. Clearly Sam had forgotten about the time change between the East Coast and the West Coast. August shut the phone off and crossed the street, steeling her nerves to go into the freaky old building.

After a couple minutes of walking, August had arrived at the fence. She scaled it quickly and jumped down to the other side silently. _I guess gymnastics did pay off after all._ August thought. _But swim team is more fun._ She walked over to the nearest glass door. She pulled on it. Nothing. She looked around, and saw that a window not too far away had been punched in. She walked over to the low window and climbed inside.

The light from the streetlight was faint, but it was enough to let August know that there was no one inside the main room.

Inside, August noticed that all of the walls between the stores that had once been in this strip mall were gone. There was just a long, narrow chamber with nothing in it. There was a new door every 20 feet or so. August figured that there was one door per shop. She decided to try the first door first.

The door didn't make a sound as it opened. There were steps leading into a basement. _Well, I might as well get this over with._ August walked quickly down the steps and turned her flashlight on at the bottom of the stairs. Once again, the walls between the stores were gone. There was a long chamber with 5 doors branching off. _I bet Brennan's in one of these. I can't wait to see the look on Booth's face when I bring her home._

August's mind didn't even register the fact that this could be a trap. She walked to the first door and pulled it open. Nothing. She tried the second. Still nothing. The third room didn't have anything in it either. So August went over to the fourth door.

When she pulled the door open, August was surprised. She had expected there to be nothing. But in the center of the floor, there was a note on a little pink Post-It. August picked it up and read the note in a whisper, so quiet that even she could barely detect the noise.

"Wow. I'm shocked you made it this far. I thought for sure that the Playfair Cipher would fool you, Agent Booth. I bet your little assignment figured it out for you, didn't she? Well, you'll be pleased to know that your little Brennan is fine. Well, she isn't dead. So here's the next clue: 13 12 4 8 19 22 18 8 26 7 7 19 22 12 15 23 18 24 22 9 18 13 16 12 13 20 9 22 7 12 13 8 7 9 22 22 7. Good luck!"

August stared at the note. _I thought the first clue said that Brennan would be here. Not that the next clue would be here! But wait. What about the last door? I bet he's trying to trick me. Or Booth, seeing as the note is clearly directed to him._

August walked out of the room and shut the door silently. She carefully walked over to the last room. She decided that she'd run if anything happened. She'd run back to the café. That should be safe. She took out the switchblade just in case, though.

After counting to 3, August grabbed the door handle, still clutching the Post-It. She decided to stick it on the wall next to the door so she would only be holding the switchblade. She pulled open the door. In the middle of the room, Brennan sat tied to a chair. She was covered in blood and cuts. It was clear she had been beaten multiple times.

"Where's Booth?" She asked in a raspy voice.

"I came alone. He wouldn't let me-" But Brennan cut her off.

"Get out! Get out now!" She rasped, shaking her head. August tilted her head, wearing a confused expression.

"Oh it's much too late for that," A male voice said from behind August, who froze.

"I was watching you. I wasn't going to hurt you. I only wanted you to get the pink note. Then you would have been fine. But you're too smart for your own good. You actually paid attention to exactly what the old note said. You knew she'd be here, and you tried to help her. Oh well, I'm already planning to take her life. Another shouldn't hurt a thing." As the man finished, August leapt into action. She turned and slashed ferociously with the switchblade, watching with satisfaction as the man grabbed his hand, yowling with pain as blood dripped to the floor.

"Run!" Brennan said, but August decided that she should make a bit more permanent damage. She ducked down and slashed just above the man's heel, attempting to sever his Achilles tendon. But she didn't do it hard enough. She was a bit scared to hurt someone that badly, so she only cut through the flesh. The man howled again, but recovered and sent a blow flying into August's left ear. She stumbled backward into a wall. The man advanced and grabbed her. Although August was fast and strong, she was only 14, and was no match for the man. He reached into his pocket and grabbed a rag, pressing it into August's nose. She held her breath as long as she could, assuming it was chloroform, but with all the kicking and struggling, there was no way she could hold it very long.

August inhaled, and the last thing she remembered was Brennan's yells and evil laughter.

**A/N: So, what did you think? Please review!!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**A/N: This chapter has a sad ending, kind of. It's was hard to write, I admit. But I think you'll like the next chapter. It's really cute!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own this, except August.**

Booth slammed his hand down on the alarm clock. He climbed out of bed and walked to the bathroom. After showering, dressing, shaving, and brushing his teeth, Booth walked into the kitchen to make breakfast.

_Hmm. Strange. August woke up before me yesterday, and she went to bed pretty early last night. She must be pretty tired. _Booth got to work on the pancakes. He got out the syrup and poured two glasses of milk.

"August, come eat. We have to get to the lab to help find Bones!" There was no reply.

"August! AUGUST!" Still no reply.

"Fine, I'll just have to wake you up myself," he grumbled, walking into Parker's room. All he saw was an empty sleeping bag. August's backpack was still there, and surprisingly, her iPod which she took _everywhere_ was there too. Her phone was gone, along with that New Zealand hoodie she'd yesterday.

"August, this isn't funny. Get out here and eat!" Booth tried again, but there was still no response. _I'll call her cell phone._ Booth grabbed his phone and dialed her number. The answering machine picked up.

"Hi, you've reached August's refrigerator. Her message machine isn't working right now, but if you leave a message, I'll write it down and stick it to myself with one of these little magnets that are pretty colors! I'll have August get back to you later. Thanks!" _BEEEEEEEEP._ Booth hung up. He tried again, just in case. This time someone picked up.

"Agent Booth. How nice to talk to you. Listen, I have both of them now. Don't worry, I plan on killing them both, just like you asked. Oh, wait, Dr. Brennan has something to say to you." There was a pause, then a loud scream of pain which sounded suspiciously like _How could you betray me, Booth?_

"What did you do to her?" Booth yelled into the phone. _Betray her? What?_

"Oh, nothing. Just something with a sharp belt is all. Dr. Brennan is stubborn though, I don't normally get that much of a reaction from her. August is different though. I can't figure out what to do with her. Half the time, she screams and yells and cusses me out, but other times she's just completely silent and stone faced. It's like she can switch off her nerve endings or something. Well, I hope to see you soon. But not too soon. Otherwise, your girls won't be dead. Oh, and by the way, Brennan says that she hates you for betraying her."

"Betray? I didn't-" But the line was dead.

BBBBBBBBBBBBB

"Hodgins, you better know what that clue said." Booth marched up the platform, not caring as the alarms sounded loudly.

"Of course I know it. I have it. Let me get it for you." Hodgins walked off as the guards stopped the alarms. Several minutes later, he reappeared.

"I can't find it. Why?"

"August is gone. I think the kidnapper got her."

"How could he get her in your apartment. We checked, it isn't even bugged!"

"I don't think he got her in the apartment. I think she went looking for Brennan. Her flashlight, cell phone, and dark blue hoodie were all gone. I think she was doing a stakeout but got caught."

"Well, I know that it said. 'Find her at the intersection of Brodham and… um… Cradle? No, umm, Crapes? No, umm, Crescent, Crème Brule… crap."

"What?"

"I don't know the second street." Angela suddenly walked in, holding a pink sticky note.

"Crane?" She asked, looking pleased with herself.

"Yeah. How'd you get that?" Hodgins asked her.

"You left it on my desk when we left last night. I figured you probably needed it when I heard you two talking about it."

"Thanks. So, yeah, Booth. It was the intersection of Brodham and Crane."

"I'll see you later." Booth walked away.

"Wait!" Hodgins called. "Don't you want us to come with you?" But Booth was gone.

"Now I know what August felt like when she got left behind." Hodgins mumbled, and he and Angela went back to review the evidence.

BBBBBBBB

Booth parked at a small 24 hour café and walked inside. A petite blonde waitress walked up to him and smiled.

"How can I help you?" She asked.

"Well, actually, I was just wondering if a girl came in last night between the hours of ten and twelve. FBI, by the way," Booth said.

"Well, I wasn't working last night, but my friend Carla was. Let me get her for you." The girl walked off. About a minute later, a tall brown haired waitress walked up to Booth.

"Hi." She grinned. "I'm Carla."

"Hi. Did you see a girl come in here last night between the hours of about ten and twelve? She's tall, with longish red hair. She was wearing a navy blue hoodie that said New Zealand."

"Oh, yeah! She ordered hot chocolate. Said her name was Jennifer. She said she was 16 when I asked her. Told me her curfew wasn't until one."

_16? Jennifer? Well, she does look like she's about 16, unless you consider the fact that she wears no make up._ Thought Booth.

"Thanks." He walked out of the café and looked around the intersection. There wasn't really much of interest. An Applebee's, a Walmart behind the café, a construction sight. _Wait! I bet that's where she went!_ Booth jumped in his car and drove around to the sight. He called for back up, just in case, and hopped out of the car.

Booth climbed in through a window. There was a long chamber. He walked over to the nearest door. When opened, it lead into a basement. It looked like it was used for storage.

_This is weird._ Booth walked around. He should have brought a flashlight. Then he kicked something. It was a flashlight. It was yellow with green tape wrapped in stripes around it, just like August's. _Why did she even bring a flashlight with her?_

Booth shined the flashlight around. He could see much better now. He walked over to the first door. Nothing. Nothing at the second, third, or fourth doors either. But then, at the fifth door, there was a little pink sticky note. It had a letter written in tiny letters on it.

"Wow. I'm shocked you made it this far. I thought for sure that the Playfair Cipher would fool you, Agent Booth. I bet your little assignment figured it out for you, didn't she? Well, you'll be pleased to know that your little Brennan is fine. Well, she isn't dead. So here's the next clue: 13 12 4 8 19 22 18 8 26 7 7 19 22 12 15 23 18 24 22 9 18 13 16 12 13 20 9 22 7 12 13 8 7 9 22 22 7. Good luck."

_What the hell?_ Booth grabbed the knob to the door. He slowly opened it and was shocked at what her saw. Brennan was sitting in the middle of the room. There was no one there but her. No one guarding her, ready to leap out and attack Booth. _He isn't a very good kidnapper._

"Bones!" He ran towards her unconscious form tied to the chair. He undid her bonds, noting the slices across her wrists and the cuts he could see across her back through her ripped T-shirt.

"Oh, Bones. You're okay." Booth wrapped his arms around her form and took her into his arms.

"Come on. Come on, Tempe. It's okay." Brennan stirred a bit. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Booth?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it's me, Bones." He was shocked when Brennan jerked away.

"What? Did I hurt you?"

"Let's just go." She said coldly, as she unsteadily made her way out of the room. Booth followed her, perplexed. They continued walking. Booth was shocked that Brennan could even stand after the beating.

"What happened to August?"

"The man said to use the new clue to find her, instead of to find me."

"That's all?" But all he got was a glare.

BBBBBBBBB

The car ride was uncomfortable. Booth stopped the car at the hospital and climbed out, expecting Brennan to follow him. When she didn't, he climbed back in the car.

"Come on. You need to go to the hospital."

"No. Take me home."

"You're injured."

"I know the extent of my injuries. None of them need stitches. Just bandages, which I have at home. Take me to my apartment."

"We can't go there. It's bugged, and we don't know the extent of it. We're going back to my apartment," Booth said, starting the car.

"No. I don't want to go there."

"Why not? Did I do something wrong?"

"Yes."

**A/N: Oh, that chapter was so sad! I was so sad when I was typing it. The next chapter will be a ton of fluff though! Love you all! Please review!!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**A/N: This chapter is pretty much pure fluff. Well, it has some other stuff in the middle, but overall it's pretty much fluffy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own this. Except August. But she isn't really in this chapter...**

Booth sighed as Brennan walked into his bathroom and shut the door. He was disappointed that she hated him, and he still wasn't sure why! Aside from what the kidnapper had told him about betraying her, he wasn't sure what had happened. And she wouldn't talk about it, so he still didn't know what he'd done.

Suddenly, a crash sounded in the bathroom. Booth ran over to the door.

"Bones? You okay?" He yelled.

"Fine." It sounded dismissive, so Booth sighed and walked into the kitchen to get himself a Coke. Several minutes later, he heard another crash, something shattering, and a muttered curse.

"Bones? Are you sure you're okay?"

"Fine." Booth could tell that she was crying because of the hitch in her voice.

"Sure?"

"Yes." Booth walked away, sighing again in defeat. He took a drink of his Coke and flipped on the TV. A couple minutes later, after yet another crash, Booth got up and walked over to the bathroom.

"Bones, I'm coming in."

"No."

"Bones, what's going on? Why are you so mad at me?"

She didn't answer for a minute, but finally Booth heard her voice.

"You can come in now." Brennan opened the door, her hair dripping wet. She had a towel wrapped around her and her cuts were still bleeding lightly. The bathtub had plenty of broken glass in it, and all of the stuff that had been on the sink earlier was now scattered around the ground. The T-shirt that Booth left for Bones to change into was clearly untouched.

"What happened, Bones?" Booth asked gently.

"I fell in the shower. When I was getting up, I hit the soap dish and it fell and crashed into the tub, shattering. Then, when I was getting out of the shower, I grabbed the curtain to keep my balance, because I was trying not to step on the glass. But then I stepped on a piece and it hurt a lot, so I stumbled and fell, but the curtain ripped and knocked everything off the sink," Bones replied.

"Is the glass still in your foot?" Booth asked, worried.

"No. I got it out before you came in."

"Okay. Dry off so that we can bandage your cuts, okay?"

"I can do it myself, thank you."

"What did I do? I saved you. I hunted for you. I did everything. What did I do wrong?" Booth started off yelling, but he finished in a soft, hurt voice.

"You betrayed me. You said you hated me. You said that you wished I would fall off the planet, not that that's possible."

"What? When did I say that? How did you know, anyway?"

"So you admit to saying those things?"

"Yes. About CAM. Not you. Never you." Booth wanted so badly to tell her how he really felt, how much he loved her. He wanted to slam her up against the wall and kiss her forever, but he didn't want to scare her away.

"He played me a tape. It was of you and Angela talking about me. Angela stuck up for me."

"How did you know it was about you? It wasn't, anyway." _Why don't you believe me? I could never hate you! I love you! _Booth thought, stung from the fact that she didn't trust him.

"The guy told me." Brennan's voice threatened to break. "He said you hated me." She looked up at Booth, and he could see the tears threatening to fall.

"I was talking about Cam. She was being really annoying that day. She was telling me how she would be there if I needed anything. It pissed me off that she could only think of herself when you were gone."

"But the guy said…" Brennan trailed off.

"Are you going to trust some stupid kidnapper was trying to kill you, or me, your friend and partner?"

Brennan didn't respond. Booth sighed in defeat, and turned to walk out of the room, but before he could, Brennan spoke.

"You." With that she launched herself into his arms sobbing. Booth recovered from his initial shock and scooped her trembling form into his arms. He carried her out of the bathroom and to the couch, where he sat down. Brennan continued shaking and sobbing, and Booth held her. He rubbed small circles on her back and whispered sweet nothings into her ear, trying to help calm her down.

"I'm sorry, Booth. That was incredibly irrational of me." Brennan looked anywhere but at him, but she didn't move out of his embrace.

"Don't worry about it. Everyone needs to show some emotion sometime. It's okay."

"Umm… thanks." Brennan stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"Well, I should probably put on some clothes, don't you think?"

"Yeah." Booth smiled. "I can get your clothes out of the dryer. They should be done by now."

"Okay. But can I just wear the shirt you gave me? And underwear, obviously? That would be so much more comfortable than my work clothes."

"Sure, Bones. I'll get dinner ready." With that, Booth walked into the kitchen and Brennan walked into the bathroom.

**A/N: Don't be mad, I know we all wanted Booth to tell Bren how much he loves her, but don't worry, it's coming. Be patient. It's agonizing to not get to write Booth and Bren, but I have this story planned, and I can't do that for a few more chapters... but you shouldn't have too long to wait!**

**Please review!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**A/N: This chapter was a bit hard to write. I think you'll like it. The next chapter is pretty much pure fluff though! By the way, I'm sorry it took so long for me to post again. I was busy all day and had no time to write. Expect at least 2 updates tomorrow though!**

"'Wow. I'm shocked you made it this far. I thought for sure that the Playfair Cipher would fool you, Agent Booth. I bet your little assignment figured it out for you, didn't she? Well, you'll be pleased to know that your little Brennan is fine. Well, she isn't dead. So here's the next clue: 13 12 4 8 19 22 18 8 26 7 7 19 22 12 15 23 18 24 22 9 18 13 16 12 13 20 9 22 7 12 13 8 7 9 22 22 7. Good luck.' That's all it says." Booth was standing in the lab next to Brennan, who was leaning on him a bit to keep her balance. Booth knew she would never admit it though.

"I'm guessing this one isn't as simple as we think. It's obvious that the numbers stand for letters. I'm going to try making A equal 1, B equal 2, C equal 3, etc. It may not work, but it may help a bit." Hodgins and Angela leaned over the note. Brennan got up to help, but she tripped. Just as she was preparing herself to hit the hard floor, she felt two strong arms wrap themselves around her. The impact never came. Booth caught her.

"Come on. I know you want to help, but you should go rest in your office." Booth scooped Brennan into his arms and carried her back to her office, despite her protests. He set her down on the couch, then sat down next to her.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Booth asked.

"Yes. I'm just worried about August. I mean, she's probably pretty freaked out right now."

"Yeah, but she's a strong girl. Not to mention defiant." Booth rolled his eyes.

"I suppose so." They continued talking for a while. After about 20 minutes of small talk, Hodgins walked in.

"I can't seem to get this. It made 'M L D H S V R H Z G G S V L O W R X V I R M P L M T I V G L M H G I V V G' Does that mean anything to you?"

"Nope. Sorry, Hodgins."

"It's okay, Booth. So, what do we do now?"

"I have no clue. Umm, what would August do?"

"Say something sarcastic and try something else?"

"No, never. August isn't at all sarcastic," Booth said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, that takes care of the sarcasm." Hodgins remarked. "What if we reversed it? Like, A would equal 26 and Z would equal 1?"

"That could work. Try it." Brennan said. Hodgins walked out of the room. About 15 minutes later, he returned.

"I think it worked. I got 'N O W S H E I S A T T H E O L D I C E R I N K O N G R E N T O N S T R E E T.' I assumed that it would be 'now she is at the old ice rink on Grenton Street.' Do you guys know of a Grenton Street anywhere?"

"Oh yeah! It was right over by that ice cream store I took Parker to once!" Booth exclaimed. "Let's go!" Booth jumped up. Brennan immediately followed him, leaping up, but winced and leaned in to Booth.

"Whoa, Bones. You can't go. You're injured!"

"Please? I'm not that bad. I'll be fine."

"You won't give in until I do, will you?"

"No way. I'm going to rescue August. It's my fault that she got kidnapped anyway."

"No, it isn't. But I guess you can come."

"Can I drive too?"

"Don't push it."

BBBBBBBB

August fought back a scream. The tears were easy to control. All she had to do was laugh and they'd go away. Easy. August had learned that technique when a boy in her class beat her up. She just kept laughing and the tears never came. But screaming was harder. It hurt, and August had to admit that it was pretty hard to give no reaction whatsoever.

The man hit her again, harder. It was right on her left eye. _Well, I always thought it'd be cool to get a black eye._ August thought wryly, trying hard not to smile. She could laugh manically, but smiling was different. She couldn't do it in front of this evil person.

_Hey, my birthday is in two days! Cool!_ August thought. _Well that was a bit random. But I'll be fifteen! That's pretty awesome._ The man hit her again. _Booth, give me an early birthday present and castrate this guy for me! Or at least bring me my iPod! I miss my music._

BBBBBBBBB

"Turn right! You're going to miss it!"

"Am not! I was focusing just fine!"

"No, you weren't! You were staring at my lips. I saw you!"

"No, I was trying to look at the mirror on your side of the car!"

"No, you weren't. Hey! Focus! Turn left here! No, you missed it!"

"You distracted me!"

"Just turn around." Booth turned the car around and drove back. He turned at the right spot that time.

"Well, here we are. The old ice rink." Booth called for backup. He and Brennan stepped out of the car and walked up to the building. Booth pulled on the door handle, and, surprisingly, it opened right up. He stepped in, holding his gun in front of him. Brennan followed. She was holding a gun, but it was only because of her injuries. There was no way she'd be able to fight anyone in her current state.

Booth led the way down the hallway, stopping several times to open doors. There wasn't anything in any of the rooms. He continued through the whole first floor, but nothing was there. Finally, Booth and Brennan made their way into the basement. There was a small lamp hanging from the ceiling. It revealed a narrow hallway. Booth would have to choose: right or left?

He walked to the left first. There were doors branching off from each side of the hallway. Booth carefully opened every single door. Nothing. Soon, he came to a dead end. He and Brennan walked back to the stairs. They then started walking down the right side, carefully opening every door. Finally, only three doors were left. One was on the right side of the hall. Another was on the left. And the final door was on the wall in front of them. Booth knew exactly why the killer had chosen this place to keep August: no matter which door they chose, the killer would easily be able to ambush them when they walked out.

Finally, they settled on the door on the right. Booth opened the door. There was nothing inside. _Damn it!_ So Booth carefully reopened the door, waiting for an attack. It never came. So they chose the door on the left. Opening it, Booth saw nothing. So finally, They walked back out and opened the middle door. Still nothing. _What? Where is she? There weren't even any sticky notes!_

Booth knew exactly what would happen. They'd walk out of the room and there would be the killer. But Booth knew there was nothing they could do. So he stepped out of the door, leaving Brennan inside.

Sure enough, there was now a man standing in the middle of the hallway holding a gun and wearing a huge black hoodie – hood up.

"Ah, Agent Booth! You finally showed up! I was wondering if your little brain would ever understand that note. It was that Hodgkins guy, wasn't it? I don't really know, that de-bugging team got all of the cameras."

"It's Hodgins. And yes, he did figure it out."

"Well, you may not be the smartest knife in the drawer, but I'm sure you can figure out that you are cornered, and therefore, helpless. Put the gun down."

Booth simply grasped the gun harder and raised it.

"Oh, you want a shootout! Well, alright then." The man raised his gun, and the two men stood facing each other. No one moved. Suddenly, Booth heard a relatively amused and angered voice echo from upstairs.

"You can't beat me, Jack! Are we to be two souls, locked in empty battle until Judgment Day? And yes, I did steal that from Pirates of the Caribbean." There was August. If she was in pain, she was hiding it well. Unfortunately, neither man even flinched as she walked down the stairs like a princess.

"You know, this is really boring. It would be nice if there was a fist fight or something." August stood there, behind the man, clearly not wanting to ruin anything. Booth kept his eyes on the man, but he knew August knew not to do anything stupid. And that meant not doing anything. Unfortunately, Booth could see August getting bored. He knew she was planning something. He could practically see the wheels spinning in her head. And he was right.

All of a sudden, August leapt onto the kidnapper's back and bit his shoulder. He cried out in pain, giving Booth an open shot. But Booth couldn't take the life. He lunged at the man instead, punching his jaw. August jumped off the man's back and reached into the man's front hoodie pocket, pulling out a switchblade.

"Thank you! I've been missing this little guy." She lunged at the man and slashed across his arm.

"August, get out of this!" Booth yelled, punching the man again.

"No! I'm not a little kid! I can fight him!"

"Get Bones! She's in the room behind me!"

"Fine." August walked back to the room and opened the door. Brennan walked out.

"Come on, we gotta go!" She and Brennan ran up the steps as Booth continued to fight the man. He threw a punch at the man's nose, but the man was good. He lunged forward at the last second, easily avoiding Booth's punch, and shoved Booth into the wall. He punched him into the wall repeatedly. Booth finally managed to grab the man and throw him to the floor. But the man leapt up and started to run up the stairs. Booth followed. The two ran through the building while Brennan and August ran out to the car.

Booth clearly had a disadvantage. He didn't know the building very well, and the killer was a running machine! Even at a full out sprint, he couldn't keep up! Soon, the man was gone. Booth searched the building, but he couldn't find the man. He called for backup, but even the other police officers could find the man. He was gone.

**A/N: So, did you like it? I know this chapter wasn't that interesting for fluff lovers, but it needed to happen. The next chapter is VERY fluffy, so don't worry! It should be up by tomorrow! Please review!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

**A/N: Hello everyone! I hope you like this chapter. It's pretty fluffy, but the ending is a bit depressing... I think you'll like it though. And everything will be all happy again in the next chapter! So, on to the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bones... but if I did, Booth and Brennan would be together already!!**

Brennan and August climbed into the SUV as Booth chased the killer through the halls.

"Get down! There may be gunfire!" Brennan said. She and August ducked down below the windows. They stayed that way for nearly 20 minutes before August got bored.

"I don't suppose you brought my iPod, did you?"

"No. We didn't even think you'd be there. Where were you being kept? We searched the whole building!"

"Each time you went into a room, he moved me. I was in bonds, so I couldn't do anything. Finally, he left me in a room you'd already checked. It looked like an old gymnastics room. There were a couple of mats still sitting there. And there was a gymnastics floor. You know, the special blue floor that has springs in it. Well, the hardwood floor I was sitting on was slippery, so I managed to scoot myself over to the gymnastics floor. It was easy to peel back. I just had to bite it, then scoot myself across the hardwood. Easy! Then, I used the sharp ends of the springs to cut through the bonds. It was harder than I thought it would be. But finally, I got it frayed enough that I could just pull through it. I undid the bonds on my feet, and that was that."

"Wow. That's surprisingly resourceful for a 14 year old."

"Thanks. Hey, here comes Booth!" Booth walked up to the car as policemen swarmed the building.

"I couldn't catch him. He just knew the building too well. And then he disappeared. The police men are just making sure the man isn't still in the building." Booth climbed into the SUV and started the engine. The car ride home was silent, aside from August's faint humming in the back seat.

BBBBBBBB

As the trio entered Booth's apartment, August sighed.

"Ah, it's nice to be back in a real house… well, apartment. I'm going to go take a shower now. I'm not nearly as injured as Brennan. Hey, Booth, do you have a portable stereo?"

"Yeah. It's in the kitchen. Why?"

"I miss music. I'm taking it to Parker's room with me." August grabbed the CD player and took it into the bedroom. She then walked out of the bedroom and into the bathroom to take a shower.

"Are you okay, Bones? Do you want me to help you with that cut on your arm?" He motioned to the bandage on Brennan's arm that was starting to bleed through.

"No, I can… actually, sure. Why not?" Brennan smiled up at Booth, who got out the first aid kit and began to bandage the cut. They could hear August singing 'Driveway' from Miley Cyrus's new CD. All of a sudden, a loud 'uuuuuuuuugggggg!' was heard, followed by a loud, 'Why do I sing that song? I hate Miley Cyrus!' This of course caused Brennan to ask,

"Who's Miley Cyrus?"

"Wow, I have to say I'm a bit surprised that even YOU don't know who Miley Cyrus is. She's this teenage girl who got really famous doing a show called 'Hannah Montana' for Disney."

"Oh. It sounds boring."

"It is." Booth finished bandaging the cut.

"Thank you. It IS pretty hard for me to do it myself." Brennan picked herself up off the couch and walked into the kitchen. "Should I make mac n cheese for a late lunch or early dinner?"

"Sure!" Booth walked into the kitchen. "What do you want to drink? I've got soda, beer, wine, water…"

"I think just some water would be nice for now." Brennan began making the mac n cheese and Booth got two glasses of water. August came in to the room.

"Yum! Mac and cheese! I love that stuff." August got a Dr. Pepper out of the fridge and sat down at the table, taking a long drink of the soda.

"I've missed having Dr. Pepper," She sighed.

"You were barely gone for even a day." Booth remarked as August took a drink, completely overplaying her happiness at the beverage.

"One day without Dr. Pepper is like a day without love!" Everyone laughed. Soon the mac n cheese was done. Brennan served everyone, and they sat down and ate. It was delicious as usual.

BBBBBBB

After dinner, August decided that she needed to hear music again, so she went into Parker's room and played some CDs. Booth and Brennan, who were still sitting at the table talking, chuckled at the loud music they could hear playing from Parker's bedroom. They occasionally heard the small thud of feet, and knew August must be dancing.

"Today was a good day. I mean, we rescued August. It's a good thing too. She goes home on Monday, and today's already the end of Saturday," Booth commented.

"Mmhmm. But the killer still got away. I'm sure we'll find him though. I guess all good things come at a price." Brennan remarked. "Well, I'm really tired. Can I sleep on your couch tonight?"

"Nah, take the bed. I can crash on the couch."

"Thank you." Brennan stood up and walked out of the room. She changed into one of Booth's shirts and climbed into his bed.

BBBBBBBB

_Brennan stepped into the mist. Though it had only been several minutes since she'd entered this place, it felt like an eternity._

"_Hello? Hello?" She called, but nothing responded. Angela's face appeared._

"_Sweetie, Booth's DEAD! DEAD! DEAD!" Angela disappeared. Brennan began to run. She saw a figure up ahead. It was Booth lying on the ground, just as he'd done at the Checkerbox after being shot._

"_Booth! Booth!" Brennan called to him, but he didn't respond. His eyes were fixed on the mist above. Brennan felt for a heartbeat. There wasn't one. Blood began pouring out of a small hole in Booth's shirt. It stained Brennan's hands red, and soon she was covered in the thick, crimson substance._

"_No! No!" Brennan could feel tears streaming down her cheeks. "No! You can't die! I love you!" Brennan was losing hope. She muttered a final, "I love you." Booth disappeared._

_Brennan stood up. She began to run, faster and faster. Suddenly, she tripped. She could feel herself falling into nothing, screaming for help, until she finally landed…_

In Booth's arms? Brennan looked around. She could feel hot tears coursing down her cheeks and two strong arms holding her small, quivering frame. Booth was holding her close to his chest and rocking back and forth. Brennan looked up at him.

"Shhhhhhh." Booth comforted. "It was just a dream. Are you okay?" He asked softly. She hesitated before shaking her head and burying her head into Booth's chest. She continued sobbing for several minutes, and Booth simply held her. Finally, she looked up at Booth. He looked back with a look of confusion. Unfortunately, Brennan took this as a look of disgust at her weakness. She jumped up out of Booth's grasp and ran out of the apartment.

**A/N: That was hard for me to write. I really wanted to have them admit their love, but it just cannot happen yet! Sorry :(**

**Like it? Hate it? Please review and tell me what you think!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Vebbie! Vebbie gives Tempe a massive hug because of the last chapter. She asked me to write that, so I did :)**** Thank you so much, Vebbie!**

**Disclaimer: Do not own, unfortunately**

Booth leapt up and ran out of the apartment after Brennan.

"Bones! Bones!" He saw the door to the elevator closing and ran faster to catch it. He stuck his hand in at the last minute, opening the door and revealing Brennan curled up in the corner sobbing.

"Oh, Bones. God, are you okay?" Booth kneeled down and scooped Brennan up in his arms. She tried hitting him and fight against his hold, but he was just too strong for her. Booth carried her out of the elevator as the doors were closing and walked back to his apartment. The door was still open, and as Booth came near it, he could see the movement of someone running away from the door.

"August, were you eavesdropping?"

"No, I would never do that." Was her reply as she walked back into the living room, grinning.

"What happened?" August asked.

"Nightmare. Just go to bed."

"Fine!" August put her hands up in defeat and walked away. Booth walked back to his dark bedroom and sat down on the bed. Brennan made a move to get out of his arms, But he just held on tighter.

"What happened, Bones?"

"I just had a nightmare. It was nothing to worry about. Can you let me go now?" Brennan asked, reverting back to her usual coldness.

"No, Bones, not until you tell me what the dream was."

"Well, I'm not going to."

"Why not? Don't you trust me?"

"Yes… no… I really don't know. I think I do, but maybe I don't."

Booth was getting angry at her response. "How can we even have a partnership if you can't trust me?"

"I don't know! Booth, I just need more time! Please!"

"Time? You've had more than three years, Bones! I trust you! I can't believe it! I thought you trusted me with everything! I thought we were better friends than you and Angela, for that matter!"

"Don't bring my friendship with her into this! It's totally different! We're both girls. I mean, we talk about different things, because Angela and I have a completely different type of friendship than what you and I have!"

"No, it isn't that different. Except for that with you and Angela, there's actual trust!"

"Do you think I just pour out all my secrets to Angela? That I just go to talk to her to tell her every little detail?"

"Yeah, I did, actually!"

"Well it's not like that at all. I don't tell her every time I have a nightmare!"

"But you should tell me!"

"Why? So that after I stop crying, you can insult me by looking at me like I'm hideous! That would be just plain stupid in my part!"

"I didn't do that!"

"Yes. You did. And I'm leaving. I'm going back to my apartment. I'll be here in the morning to pick up August and take her back to Sweets."

"We have her until Monday. And you can't go back to your apartment. It was bugged, remember?"

"I'll stay with Angela."

"There you go again! Why can't you trust me like you trust her?"

"You know what Booth, I really don't want to hear it! Here." Brennan took the Brainy Smurf out of her purse.

"You've been carrying that around with you?"

"Yeah. And now I'm not." Brennan threw it on the ground at Booth's feet and stomped out of the apartment. Booth didn't even try to follow her.

BBBBBBBBBB

"Angela, can I stay with you?" Brennan was on the way to Angela's, but decided that she should probably call first, just in case.

"Sure, Sweetie. But what happened? Did Booth do something?"

"No Ange. I think I really messed up this time. I yelled at him and basically told him I didn't trust him. And I gave him back the Brainy Smurf."

"Oh, Sweetie! You can stay with me as long as you want."

"Shouldn't you ask Hodgins first? I mean, it is his house."

"Don't worry. If he objects, I'll just have to seduce him. Then he won't say know."

"That's a bit too much information Ange, but okay. Thanks." Brennan hung up and continued her drive over to Angela's.

BBBBBBBBB

August walked out of Parker's room to watch Booth sulking on the couch and fiddling with the Brainy Smurf.

"You know, sulking isn't going to do anything. You need to talk to her."

"No." Booth replied shortly.

"Well, sitting here isn't going to fix it! And I know you want to fix it! Don't you?"

"No."

"But you love her!"

"Go to bed. Now."

"No."

"Look, August, I'm not in the mood to have another argument. Can't you just go to bed?"

"No. I can't sleep with all the yelling." August sneered.

"Shut up! Shut up! I was just mad, I didn't mean to be so mean to her! I love her!"

"No, really?" August said sarcastically.

"Fine. Look, I'll call her." Booth got up and dialed Brennan's number while August smiled at her good work.

"She's not answering. I should call Angela." Booth tried Angela's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Booth."

"I know."

"Is Bones there?"

"I don't know, let me ask her." Booth frowned, but August, who was doing her best to listen in despite Booth's silent protests, laughed.

"Sorry. Brennan hasn't shown up yet. I'll try her cell and let you know later." Angela hung up.

"I know she's there." Booth muttered in anger.

"No shit."

"Do you kiss your mom with that mouth?" Booth asked.

"Have you met my mother? I wouldn't kiss her with a 40 foot pole."

"Don't like her much?"

"Nope. We just don't click. I mean, she's totally emotional and nice. I'm emotional, but in a different way. I show happiness and anger, but not sadness. My mom ONLY shows sadness."

"Oh. Sorry."

"I'm not. It's just a fact of life. I mean, I love her. She's my mother. But to me, she's more like a teacher than a mom. I'm too distant from her for us to really have a good relationship. But it's no big deal. Well, I'm going to bed, finally."

"Alright. G'night, August."

"Night Booth." August walked off to her bedroom. Booth sighed and sat back down on the couch, still messing with the Brainy Smurf.

BBBBBBBBBBB

Booth walked into the Jeffersonian the next day. He had barely slept at all, and was currently trying to down as much coffee as possible to keep himself awake. He walked onto the platform, August in tow, and saw Brennan bent over her work.

"Hi."

"I'm working." Brennan replied coldly.

"We need to talk."

"No, we don't. I'm working." Brennan stood up and walked away.

Booth followed her back to her office.

"Bones, we need to talk about what happened."

"Don't call me Bones." Brennan kept walking until they reached her office. She stepped inside and closed the door. As it swung shut, Booth noticed something. On the inside of the glass, a pink sticky note hung ominously.

BBBBBBBBB

"'I got away! But I'm not nearly done. This time, I've captured 3 innocent civilians. They haven't done anything, like Brennan and August have, but I will still kill them. Here is the clue you'll need if you want to rescue them. GJNF UIEP CU UIE CBCNFONEF GCDUOTZ ON DVBE CUENVE.' That's it, peeps." August read the sticky note as Hodgins, Cam, Angela, Booth, and Brennan stood around the table. They were going to have to solve it as soon as possible.

"The only thing I can think of to start with is a cryptogram," Hodgins mentioned.

"Yes, but there must be a shift somewhere. ON makes the word on, and if they're talking about a location, it'd work fine. It could be the blank ON blank street or something." August said.

"Hey, I know! He's already given us the shifted letters! Remember the Playfair cipher?" Angela asked.

"Yeah? So?"

"Try writing the alphabet." Hodgins did that. "Okay, now write beneath B, O, N, E, and S, the same letter. Now shift everything ahead one. So that B would be A, but it stays the same, so C is A, then D is C, and so on." Hodgins did that too, following Angela's instructions. They ended up with DHNC RGEL ZR RGE ZBZNCONEC DZAROQX ON ATBE ZUENTE.

"Well, clearly that didn't work," Angela sighed, puzzled.

"What about a backward shift?" August asked, narrowing her eyes. "He could have done that to trick us. Usually things are shifted ahead."

"I'll try it," Hodgins offered. Sure enough, several minutes later, their efforts were rewarded. "It says, 'find them at the old abandoned factory on Cube Avenue.'"

"Booth, do you know where that is?" August asked.

"I think so. Come on Bones, let's go."

"I don't want to come."

"I need you to. We may have any number of bodies."

"Then call me if there are any."

"Please?"

"Alright, alright. Let me get my coat." Brennan walked off the platform.

"Can I go to?" August asked.

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Can I have a dollar to buy a Dr. Pepper from the vending machine?"

"Here. When you're done, come back and tell Hodgins you need something to do."

"Okay." August ran off to the vending machines. But as soon as she got there, she ran to the nearest doors and sprinted around the back of the parking lot. She snuck between the cars, carefully making her way to Booth's. As soon as she heard the door click, the result of Booth unlocking them with his remote control that unlocked and locked the door, August opened the door a bit and slipped inside, quickly shutting the door. She squished herself down so that she was lying on the floor of the back seat.

**A/N: Okay, I know that was a bad spot to leave off at, but I had written this and the next chapter in the same document. It got WAY too long though, so I broke it up and just posted both chapters at the same time! Please tell me what you think!**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

**A/N: I hope you all enjoy this chapter. The next chapter should be posted some time tonight, which could mean 2 am, if I stay up that late :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own this... I do own August and the kidnapper though.**

Booth and Brennan opened their respective doors and climbed inside. Booth started the engine and began to drive. Neither noticed August.

Soon they arrived at the abandoned factory. It had a faded sign that read Purina Dog Food. There was a river that ran next to it. At one point, the river dropped down a waterfall and disappeared beneath the factory. It came out again on the other side, but lower.

Booth and Brennan jumped out of the car. Booth locked the door, and August popped up. Booth and Brennan were walking to the factory. August rolled her eyes at the sight of Booth trying to talk to Brennan, who was ignoring him.

August quickly unlocked the door, pushed it open, relocked it, then shut the door softly. She watched as Booth and Brennan climbed into the factory via a broken window. They disappeared from sight. August knew it was now or never.

She ran towards the window and climbed in. She dropped into a small basement room and immediately began walking towards the door, trying to locate Booth and Brennan. August figured it would be best to follow them for a ways until it was too late for her to be sent back to the car.

August ventured into the hall and immediately saw Booth and Brennan. She suck after them quietly, ready to dart into any room if necessary. Soon they came to a large open room. It had a tall ceiling and lots of old machinery in it. Booth began to turn around, and August ducked behind an old machine.

"Did you see that?" Booth asked Brennan.

"What? No, I didn't. Let's keep moving."

As they walked on, August snuck out from behind the machine and continued sneaking behind the machinery. Finally, Booth and Brennan walked through a door way, and August could get out from under an old machine that looked like it had maybe sealed the bags shut.

August followed Booth and Brennan down the hallway. They turned a corner. August caught up to them. But before she could round the corner, she accidentally kicked an old bucket. It made a huge clang. August pressed her back to the wall, holding her breath. But all of a sudden, the barrel of Booth's gun appeared only 2 inches from August's forehead.

"Booth, would you please put the gun down?" August asked.

"August? Damn, you shouldn't have followed us! Wait, how did you follow us?"

"It's called stowing away. In your car. You didn't even notice."

"Go back."

"I can't now. I'd get lost or maybe kidnapped."

"Yes, you timed that nicely, didn't you? Close enough to us that you wouldn't get captured on the way, but when you decided to announce yourself, which you probably would have done in a grandly stupid way, we'd be too far in to walk you back, and you couldn't go back yourself either."

"Oh no, you spoiled my plan." August replied flatly, in a monotone, overly loud and dramatic way, like a bad actress.

"Well, come on then. But you're in tons of trouble, missy."

"Fine by me. I'll just try not to kick any more buckets then. I'm sure the whole building knows we're here by now."

"Yeah, don't do that again." Booth said. The three started walking down the hallway. Booth began to get ahead. He told August to get between him and Brennan, just to be safe.

Booth walked up to the door at the end of the hallway. It had a large glass window in it, and inside, Booth could see several figures. Three, actually. He opened the door silently, walking inside. August went next. Neither noticed that Brennan never came through the door.

BBBBBBBBBB

Booth walked up to the three hostages. There was no one else in the room. Only three people. Booth freed each person. They introduced themselves. The first was a 27 year old black woman named Hilary, who was raising two children with her husband. One was 5, and the other was 3. The next victim was a 42 year old biker named Mark. The third was a 17 year old blonde girl named Sarah who worked at McDonalds when she wasn't in school. The three people agreed to sit in the corner and be completely silent until the kidnapper was arrested.

Booth still hadn't noticed that Brennan was gone or that August was currently playing on a large metal structure that looked like it could fall over at any minute.

"August, get down!" Booth said when he finally noticed August, who swung town easily from the top bar. "Bones, come here. I don't want you to get hurt." Booth called. August walked over to him, but Brennan never came.

"Bones, come on. Bones! Bones!" But there was no reply. Brennan was gone.

BBBBBBB

Booth and August ran through the halls of the building.

"Where are we going?" August yelled over the rush of the river that was coursing next to them. They had worked their way deep into the basement of the building. The two ended up in a long hallway that ran next to the river. There were contraptions hooked into the water that had most likely been used to power machines.

"I don't know."

"Then WHY are we running by the river?"

"Because this would be the easiest place to kill someone. No one would here the victim scream down here, and the body could easily be deposited in the river. I just thought maybe the killer would take her here."

"Okay then." The two kept running. Soon they came to a doorway. They stepped inside, and immediately saw Brennan. She was tied to a chair in the middle of a fairly large room. She was sitting right next to the coursing river. The man was walking around her, holding a whip. Booth and August stood on the edge of the room. The man hadn't seen them yet. They stayed on the edge of the room, waiting.

The man walked around to Brennan's front. He ripped the duct tape off her mouth and lowered his lips to her. August watched Booth tense up at the unwanted affection. The man began to cut off Brennan's jacket, pulling it off. He started on her shirt, pulling it off, leaving Brennan in nothing but her bra.

The man began to pull off Brennan's pants. This was too much for Booth. He leapt forward and sprinted at the man, who was a good 40 feet away. The man still couldn't hear Booth over the extreme pounding of the river. At the last second, the man turned, and, seeing Booth, grinned evilly. As Booth launched himself at the man, the man pushed Brennan's chair off the side of the ground, sending her screaming into the river.

**A/N: Total cliffhanger, guys. Sorry! Please forgive me. Don't worry though. The next chapter will be nice and happy and totally not a cliffhangar :)**

**Please tell me what you think and review!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

**A/N: I hope you all like this chapter. Wow, 3 in one day! And there could easily be more later tonight, but I'm not sure.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bones, sadly**

Booth cried out as he watched Brennan plummet to her sure-to-be death. He jumped out of the grasp of the man, but the man caught his arm and held his gun to Booth's head.

"You even think of moving, and I'll shoot you." The man lead Booth over to a bench, where he sat down next to Booth. The man didn't notice August sneaking to the edge, but Booth did.

"August! No! You can't jump in! You'll kill yourself!" Booth yelled over the rushing river. The man whacked Booth on the back of his head, knocking him out cold. He began advancing on August, who knew she could either wait to be killed by the man, or dive into the river.

_The river._ August thought. There was no fear in her mind as she dove gracefully into the water, which swallowed her into it's murky depths. _Well, I guess it's a good thing I brought more than one pair of contacts. Because these things are probably already gone._ August thought as she opened her eyes. The water was clear, but not as clear as a pool. It was also pretty dark.

August swam down, swimming down the river with the current, making it pretty easy. She needed to surface for air, so she began swimming upward. As soon as she broke the surface, she was pulled back down. August barely managed a breath. She soon discovered that the closer to the bottom she was, the less the current went. The river was only about 10 feet deep, and had a concrete bottom.

August kept swimming, keeping her eyes open for Brennan. By the time August saw her, it looked to be too late. Brennan was drifting through the water, completely limp, but still tied to the chair. August swam quickly towards her and grabbed the leg of the chair. She pulled it down to the bottom, making it easier to swim to the side of the river. She then pushed off the bottom, shooting up and out of the river. She grabbed the bank and climbed up it, shocked that she actually made it. She pulled Brennan's chair out of the water and untied her.

August pushed 5 times on Brennan's chest, just in the place that she'd learn to push on. She opened Brennan's mouth, and was about to begin the breathing part, but Booth suddenly ran up to them. He looked a bit dazed, but seemed okay.

"Move, August. I can do it." Booth kneeled down next to Brennan's limp body and pressed his lips onto her cold blue ones. He pulled back, pressed on Brennan's chest, and pressed his lips to hers again. Soon it was clear that Brennan was gone.

"No! NO!! You cannot die! No!! Keep fighting!" Booth was yelling in agony. August rested her hand on his shoulder in sympathy, but Booth shrugged it off, returning to his CPR. Nothing. But Booth continued.

"If you won't fight, I'll fight for you." Booth said, and he continued pressing on Brennan's chest. "I love you too much to let you go." It was as if by magic that Brennan's eye's flicked open and she began to cough up water. Booth turned her onto her side, and held her hair back as she coughed. Finally, when Brennan was okay again, Booth grabbed her and held her close.

"Don't ever scare me like that again." Booth continued holding Brennan's shivering form.

"I won't! I won't." Brennan sobbed into Booth's chest, shivering. August smiled at the sight before her.

"Let's get you two home. You must be freezing!" Booth exclaimed, scooping Brennan up.

"I'm sure Brennan is, but I've been in colder." August smirked. "What happened to the man?"

"I woke up as he was about to shoot me. I managed to kick him right where it counts, if you know what I mean. Then I handcuffed him and called for backup as I was running in here. The hostages will be fine, and the man will go to jail." Booth, carrying Brennan, and August walked out to his car. A young agent ran up to them.

"Agent Booth! We got the kidnapper. The hostages are safe. And they aren't hostages any more."

"Good. I'm going home now. Would you let Cullen know what we're all fine?"

"Certainly!" The eager young agent scurried off. Booth set Brennan in the passenger's seat of his car as August climbed in the back. Booth pulled a blanket from under Brennan's seat and wrapped it over her. She smiled a bit, but soon went back to her cold teeth chattering. Booth climbed in, turned the heater on as high as it would go, and began the drive back to his apartment.

**A/N: This chapter was pretty short, but ya gotta admit, it was pretty cute :)**

**Please review :)**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

**A/N: Alright, everyone! Here is the chapter we've all been waiting for :) I hope you enjoy, even though it is pretty short.**

**Disclaimer: Do not own. This would have happened already.**

"Bones, go get in the shower."

"Let A-August g-go first." Brennan said through chattering teeth.

"No, Brennan. I can stay out, I'll be fine. As I said, I've been in colder."

"N-No, really. I n-need to t-talk to B-Booth." Brennan shivered.

"But Bones, we can talk later."

"No." Brennan said forcefully. "I w-want to t-t-talk now."

"Alright. August, you can go take a shower."

"Thanks Brennan. I'll be quick, I promise." As August walked out of the room and into the bathroom, Booth helped Brennan's shivering form to the couch. He pulled her down next to him and wrapped his arms around her, trying to keep her nice and warm.

"I'm s-sorry, Booth. I sh-shouldn't have b-been so m-mean t-to you." Brennan snuggled further into his embrace.

"It's okay, Bones. I said some pretty stupid things to you."

"No, it w-was my f-fault, r-really. But I r-really did think you d-didn't c-care when I f-fell in the r-river. Well, it was actually m-more of a canal. B-but the man t-told me that you h-had organized m-my kidnapping. He showed m-me a video of you and Hodgins working on a clue, b-but he told me that y-you were writing it because you were the one who w-was p-placing them."

"Bones, you know I care."

"I know. I was j-just so scared, Booth." She buried her head into his chest, beginning to cry.

"I know. It's okay, Bones. I'm here. And I care."

"You r-really mean it. Promise you w-won't leave."

"I care. I care because you're my partner. I care because you're my friend. I care because Parker adores you, and he's important to me. I care so much. I care because… because…" Booth took a deep breath before saying, "I love you because of this."

All of a sudden, Booth crushed his lips onto hers in a passionate, loving kiss. After recovering from her initial shock, Brennan responded, pressing her body onto his closer, if it was possible. Brennan moaned lightly when Booth ran his tongue across her bottom lip, begging for entrance. Brennan opened her mouth, allowing Booth's tongue to explore her mouth. She tasted like vanilla. Finally, Brennan pulled back in need of air.

"I love you." Booth said simply. Brennan was shocked.

"I-I l-" but Booth cut her off.

"It's okay. I know you don't love me too. Just say it." Booth sighed.

"Well, okay, but I was going to say I love you too." Brennan smiled as Booth turned around, looking like a little kid who just got exactly what he wanted for Christmas. And then his lips were on hers again. Neither noticed August standing in the doorway, smiling to herself as she walked into the kitchen to call Angela. _She's gonna love this._

BBBBBBBBB

Brennan stepped into a nice, hot shower. She relaxed under the pounding of water on her tense back. The water ran over her cuts and bruises. It felt good.

Booth was making dinner in the kitchen. August was sitting at the table talking animatedly to Angela, and Booth could hear random squeals every now and then – some from the phone, and some from August. Booth rolled his eyes at yet another squeal from August.

He smiled as Brennan walked into the kitchen wearing one of his T-shirts. She walked up to his and wrapped her arms around his waist. Booth leaned down and kissed her softly, pulling another squeal from August as she told Angela what was happening.

"Hey, Bones. You all warm now?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Booth."

"For what?"

"Nothing…everything…I don't know."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Booth." Both smiled as August squealed again.

"Angela? They're telling each other they love each other! I know, it's so cute. Hey! Let's have a celebration party. Yeah, for the case being over, Bren and Booth being together, and guess what! Tomorrow's my birthday. Yes, the girl named August was in fact born in July. Alright, can you come pick me up though? I don't want to interrupt this cute moment Bren and Booth are having. Okay, see you in 10 minutes." August hung up.

"We're having a party!"

**A/N: How did you like it? The next chapter will, of course, be the party, and we've got plenty of fluff coming up :) Please tell me what you think!**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

**A/N: This chapter is all fluff. The ending is really sweet though :) I hope you enjoy. This isn't the end, but there will only be a couple of chapters after this, maybe 2 max.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bones or any of the songs I mention.**

Angela arrived at Booth's apartment about 10 minutes after August hung up. She squealed when she saw Booth and Brennan in the kitchen, laughing, talking, and sharing the occasional kiss. They didn't even notice.

"Booth, Bren, I'm stealing August. Bren. BREN! Sweetie, we're leaving." Brennan didn't even look away from Booth as she said,

"See you later." So August and Angela shrugged and walked out the door. They hopped into Angela's car, and soon arrived at Hodgins' house.

"So, where do we start?" August asked as they walked into the fancy living room.

"Um, well, I guess we should figure out what we want to do. Then we can decide where we want the party to be." Angela replied, sitting on one of the couches. "Make yourself at home, August. I'm gonna get us something to drink and some paper to write on. You want Dr. Pepper?"

"Duh. I'll think of some ideas." Angela left, leaving August to her pondering. Soon, Angela returned, drinks in her hands and a piece of paper and a pen in her mouth.

"Here. Let me get it." August took her drink and set it down. Angela pulled the pen and paper out of her mouth and sat down.

"Okay, let's just make a list of possible things to do. I'll write. Just say anything, even if you don't really like it." Angela pulled the lid off the pen and flipped to a blank sheet of paper.

"Um, bowling?"

"Okay, how about swimming."

"Amusement park party."

"Pizza and movie?"

"Masquerade ball."

"Ooooh! I love that one!" Angela circled it several times. "What if we just had a dance party though, without the masquerade? That's just too Halloween."

"Wait a second." August smiled at her idea. "What if we did karaoke night? We could get a place with a dance floor so people could dance, but we could then also have people sing. Brennan could totally do something since last time it was kind of ruined."

"Oh my gosh! I LOVE that idea! We could have a DJ too, so that when people weren't singing, they could just dance."

"Yeah. We could set it up like the ball they had in Just My Luck! Except on a smaller scale, of course."

"Yeah! The lighting, stage, awesomeness, like anything could happen!"

"Definitely. Well, let's find somewhere to have it then!"

"Alright. I'll call around, you make a list of supplies. I'm thinking we have some shopping to do!"

BBBBBBBBBB

Everything was set up perfectly. August and Angela had found a great place called Studio that had a stage, a dance floor, and awesome lighting. August had chosen a DJ and talked to him about karaoke. He said that he had tons of songs, and he did. He and August had made a playlist, but also decided that they could do requests. Angela got all the food together. There was cheese, crackers, veggie plates, fruit plates, mini hot dogs, and practically every other kind of party food imaginable. There was cake too, for August's birthday.

They sent out invitations to Booth, Brennan, Cam, some of Booth's friends, Parker and Rebecca, some other people at the Jeffersonian, and told everyone that they could take whoever they wanted. Parker was bringing one of his friends, and Cam decided to bring her sister. Everyone's families were invited, so Sweets and his girlfriend came too. The party started at 7, and everyone arrived at about the right time.

Currently, everyone was dancing to Rihanna's Don't Stop the Music, and the atmosphere was great. No one had done the karaoke yet, but that was to be expected. It wasn't an easy thing to do.

Finally, after 2 hours of partying, dancing, laughing, and eating, August got sick of the fact that no one was singing. So she walked up onto the stage and started talking to everyone.

"Look peeps, we had a karaoke party so that people could sing. I'm going to have Dr. Brennan start off the night with Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!" But Brennan wouldn't come up. "Please? Fine, I guess I'll just start." She began Miley Cyrus' version because August thought it was better faster. Soon, Brennan got up and took over, and from there, everyone wanted to sing.

It was at midnight that everyone decided it was time for one last song, which August decided was going to be sung by her.

_I always needed time on my own  
__I never thought I'd  
__Need you there when I cried  
__And the days feel like years when I'm alone  
__And the bed where you lie  
__Is made up on your side  
__  
__When you walk away  
__I count the steps that you take  
__Do you see how much I need you right now?_

Brennan and Booth were dancing in the middle of the room, and August nearly let out a squeal at how cute they looked.

_When You're Gone  
__The pieces of my heart are missin you  
__When You're Gone  
__The face I came to know is missing too  
__When You're Gone  
__The words I need to hear  
__To always get me through the day  
__And make it okay  
__I miss you._

Brennan pulled Booth closer and wrapped her arms around his neck. She rested her head on his shoulder. The song really did fit them.

_I've never felt this way before  
__Everything that I do  
__Reminds me of you  
__And the clothes you left,  
__They lie on my floor  
__And they smell just like you  
__I love the things that you do._

_When you walk away  
__I count the steps that you take  
__Do you see how much I need you right now?_

Booth lowered his lips to Brennan's, but they continued to sway to the music. August smiled as she sang.

_When You're Gone  
__The pieces of my heart are missin you  
__When You're Gone  
__The face I came to know is missing too  
__When You're Gone  
__The words I need to hear  
__To always get me through the day  
__And make it okay  
__I miss you._

Booth's tongue caressed Brennan's. Everyone had cleared the dance floor and was watching them. They really did make a perfect couple.

_We were made for each other  
__Out here forever  
__I know we were  
__Yeah  
__And all I ever wanted was for you to know  
__Everything I do I give my heart and soul  
__I can hardly breathe I need to feel you here with me  
__Yeah_

_When You're Gone  
__The pieces of my heart are missin you  
__When You're Gone  
__The face I came to know is missing too  
__When You're Gone  
__The words I need to hear  
__Will always get me through the day  
__And make it okay  
__I miss you._

The music slowly ended, and Booth and Brennan broke apart. Booth wrapped his arms around her, and they stood there on the dance floor long after everyone else, aside from August, left.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Please review!**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

**A/N: Last chapter, people! I hope you enjoy it, even though it's so short :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own this!**

"Bye guys. I had a ton of fun this week!" August hugged Angela and Brennan. She just waved to the guys.

"You have my number, right?" Angela asked.

"Yeah. I'll text you later! I know a ton of stuff happened this week, most of it bad, but I had the best week ever!" August said.

"Come on, August. We have to go to the airport. You already missed your flight last night because of the party." Sweets said from the driver's seat of his car. August walked over to the door, pulled it open, and climbed into the passenger's seat.

"Bye August!" Everyone waved as August and Sweets drove away.

"Jack, let's go home. We don't have a case, and I can think of many good ways to spend an afternoon." Hodgins smiled.

"I like the way you think, then." The two walked off, leaving Brennan and Booth standing there.

"That was a pretty good week. I mean, even if you and August got kidnapped. I think August had fun playing FBI Agent, even if it resulted in her getting kidnapped. The whole thing kind of suited her, you know?" Booth asked, as they walked back to his car.

"Yeah. But the body armor looks better on you."

"Was that a compliment?"

"No, I was simply stating a fact. Anyway, it wasn't a very good analysis because she never wore any armor, but you did."

"Okay, Bones. Whatever you say." He kissed her softly on the lips. "Wanna go to the diner? You can have some pie." Booth teased, throwing his arm over her shoulder.

"No, you can have some pie. I'll just have what I always have."

"Okay, Bones. Let's go." Booth sighed. "It's been a good week."

"Why?"

"Because I got to hang out with a really cool girl, even if she did get kidnapped."

"Oh. I'm glad you liked August. I did too."

"Yeah, I did. But I was talking about you. I guess I should have added the fact that a perfect woman loves me, and know I love her."

"When did you know?"

"Huh?"

"When did you know that you loved me?"

"The very first time I saw you." Booth pushed her up against the car and kissed her long and passionately.

"Think we can skip the diner?"

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed! I'm planning a sequel, but it may take a while for it to come up because school starts soon, and I'll have homework (unfortunately)**

**Thanks for sticking with me for this story! Reviews are appreciated!**


End file.
